How to say “than” in Chinese
than (comparison)
“Than” in Chinese is 比, bǐ: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
比 is read bǐ. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Two people standing side by side are being compared.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “比”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 比. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 哥哥比我高。gēgebǐwǒgāoMy older brother is taller than me.
- 他比我大两岁。tābǐwǒdàliǎngsuìHe’s two years older than me.
- 我爷爷比我奶奶大两岁wǒyéyebǐwǒnǎinaidàliǎngsuìMy grandpa is two years older than my grandma.
- 他跑得比我快。tāpǎodebǐwǒkuàiHe runs faster than me.
- 我弟弟比我矮wǒdìdibǐwǒǎiMy younger brother is shorter than me.
- 他不比我高。tābùbǐwǒgāoHe's not taller than me.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Taller, older, better”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “than” in Chinese?
“Than” in Chinese is 比, pinyin bǐ.
What does 比 mean?
比 (bǐ) means “than (comparison)”.
How do you write 比?
比 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 比?
比 is read bǐ. Tones: bǐ — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“than” in the lesson “Taller, older, better”
This word is from the topic “People around you” of HSK 2. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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