比如/例如 — For Example | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

English lets "for example" wander: you can front it ("For example, apples") or bury it ("apples, for example"). Chinese is stricter and, once you see the pattern, easier. 比如 (bǐrú) and its written twin 例如 (lìrú) always come before the items they introduce, they choose themselves by register — 比如 for talking, 例如 for the page — and the items after them are strung together with a special punctuation mark you may not have met yet: the enumeration comma 、 (顿号). This page sorts the two words, shows where they sit, and hands you the small closers (等 / 等等) that round a list off. It pairs naturally with the restating marker 也就是 "that is", which does the opposite job — restating the same thing rather than giving a sample of it.

比如 — the spoken "like / for instance"

比如 is what you say out loud. It introduces one or more examples of a category you just named, exactly like English "like" or "for instance" in casual speech. It sits at the head of the example, and the examples themselves are separated by the enumeration comma 、.

我喜欢吃水果，比如苹果、香蕉。

wǒ xǐhuan chī shuǐguǒ, bǐrú píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo

I like eating fruit, like apples and bananas. (informal)

周末我喜欢做点运动，比如跑步、游泳。

zhōumò wǒ xǐhuan zuò diǎn yùndòng, bǐrú pǎobù, yóuyǒng

On weekends I like to get some exercise, like running and swimming. (informal)

Crucially, 比如 doesn't only introduce nouns — it can head a whole clause, a "for instance you could…" move:

你得多练习，比如每天写几个句子。

nǐ děi duō liànxí, bǐrú měi tiān xiě jǐ ge jùzi

You need to practice more — for example, write a few sentences every day. (informal)

比如说 — the fuller spoken variant

Add 说 (shuō) and you get 比如说 "for instance, say…". It's a touch more discursive and buys you a beat of thinking time before the example lands — very common in unplanned speech.

比如说，你可以先打个电话问一下。

bǐrú shuō, nǐ kěyǐ xiān dǎ ge diànhuà wèn yíxià

For instance, you could give them a call first and ask. (informal)

💡

比如, 比如说, and 拿…来说 ("take… for example") are all spoken. Reach for them in conversation, WeChat messages, and casual writing. The moment you're drafting a report, an essay, or a notice, switch to 例如 — see the next section.

例如 — the written "e.g."

例如 means the same thing but belongs to written and formal registers: reports, essays, notices, academic prose. Think of it as the Chinese "e.g." — you'd rarely blurt it out over dinner, but it's the natural choice in a document.

本店提供多种服务，例如快递、打印和复印。

běn diàn tígōng duō zhǒng fúwù, lìrú kuàidì, dǎyìn hé fùyìn

This shop offers a range of services, e.g. courier, printing and photocopying. (formal — notice)

这次调查发现了不少问题，例如工资太低、加班太多。

zhè cì diàochá fāxiàn le bù shǎo wèntí, lìrú gōngzī tài dī, jiābān tài duō

The survey uncovered a number of problems, e.g. wages being too low and overtime too heavy. (formal — report)

Where it goes, and how to punctuate the list

Two mechanical points trip up English speakers. First, the marker comes before the examples, always — there is no "…, for example" tacked onto the end. Second, the items in the list are separated by the enumeration comma 、 (顿号), not the ordinary comma 逗号 (，). The 顿号 is reserved precisely for listing parallel items inside a sentence; using the round comma there looks wrong to a Chinese reader. (See Chinese punctuation for the full set of marks.)

Marker	Register	Position	List separator
比如 (bǐrú)	spoken / informal	before the examples	、 (顿号)
比如说 (bǐrú shuō)	spoken, discursive	before the examples	、 (顿号)
例如 (lìrú)	written / formal	before the examples	、 (顿号)

A list opened this way is often rounded off with 等 (děng) or 等等 (děngděng) "and so on / etc.", which signals the examples are a sample, not the full set.

我买了很多菜，比如西红柿、鸡蛋、豆腐等等。

wǒ mǎi le hěn duō cài, bǐrú xīhóngshì, jīdàn, dòufu děngděng

I bought lots of groceries — tomatoes, eggs, tofu, and so on. (informal)

💡

比如 gives you a sample of a category (some of the fruit); 也就是 restates the same thing in other words ("that is, all of it"). If what follows is another way of saying the whole thing, you want 也就是, not 比如.

像 and 之类的 — the cousins worth knowing

Two neighbours round out the family, and both wrap the list rather than just heading it. 像 (xiàng) "like, such as" introduces examples but usually pairs with a trailing 这样的 (zhèyàng de) "like this," so the samples end up bracketed on both sides: 像…这样的… "…such as… and the like." And in speech, 之类的 (zhīlèi de) "and that sort of thing" is the casual closer that does the job 等等 does in writing — where an English speaker would trail off with "and stuff."

像苹果、香蕉这样的水果我都喜欢。

xiàng píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo zhèyàng de shuǐguǒ wǒ dōu xǐhuan

Fruit like apples and bananas — I like all of it. (informal) — 像…这样的 brackets the samples.

她平时就买点面包、牛奶之类的。

tā píngshí jiù mǎi diǎn miànbāo, niúnǎi zhīlèi de

She usually just buys bread, milk, and that sort of thing. (informal) — 之类的 closes a spoken list.

Common Mistakes

1. Putting 比如 after the examples (English "apples, for example" order). The marker heads the list; it never trails it.

❌ 苹果、香蕉，比如。

Wrong order — 比如 comes before the examples, not after: 比如苹果、香蕉.

✅ 我喜欢水果，比如苹果、香蕉。

wǒ xǐhuan shuǐguǒ, bǐrú píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo

I like fruit, like apples and bananas.

2. Using formal 例如 in casual chat (register clash). In a text to a friend, 例如 sounds stiff and bookish — use 比如.

❌ 我爱吃水果，例如芒果、荔枝。（发给朋友的消息）

✅ 我爱吃水果，比如芒果、荔枝。

wǒ ài chī shuǐguǒ, bǐrú mángguǒ, lìzhī

I love fruit, like mango and lychee. (informal)

3. Separating listed items with the round comma 逗号 instead of 顿号、. Parallel items in a list take the enumeration comma.

❌ 比如苹果，香蕉，橘子。

Wrong punctuation — parallel list items take 顿号、, not 逗号，: 比如苹果、香蕉、橘子.

✅ 比如苹果、香蕉、橘子。

bǐrú píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo, júzi

Like apples, bananas, oranges.

4. Pairing 比如 with the noun 例子 ("for example, an example is…"). 比如 already means "for example"; adding 例子 "example" doubles it up.

❌ 比如一个例子是苹果。

Redundant — 比如 already means 'for example'; drop 例子: 比如苹果.

✅ 比如苹果。

bǐrú píngguǒ

For example, apples.

Key Takeaways

比如 = spoken "like / for instance"; 例如 = written "e.g." Same meaning, split by register — 比如 for talking and casual writing, 例如 for reports, essays, and notices.
比如说 is the fuller, more discursive spoken variant that buys a beat of thinking time.
All of them come before the examples, never after — there is no Chinese "…, for example" tag.
Separate the listed items with the enumeration comma 、 (顿号), not the round comma ，, and round the list off with 等 / 等等 "and so on."
Don't confuse 比如 (a sample of a set) with 也就是 (a restatement of the same thing).

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