Words to Describe and Compare Things

Describing Things in Mandarin Chinese

Mandarin Chinese vocabulary provides a range of adjectives to describe things.
Examples would include 大 (big), 小 (small), 高 (tall), 短 (short), 美 (beautiful), 丑 (ugly).
These descriptive adjectives typically come before the noun they are describing.
For instance, you might say, “我有一只大猫.” which translates to “I have a big cat.”
The verb 是 is often paired with descriptors to establish identity, characteristic or condition.
To say “My car is big,” you would say, “我的车是大的.”

Comparing Things in Mandarin Chinese

When comparing things, as in “X is more [adjective] than Y,” the structure “X 比 Y 更 [adjective]” is used.
For example, “The duck is bigger than the chicken” would be translated as “鸭子比鸡更大.”
To express less, Mandarin uses “没有 (not as…) as”.
For example, “The book is not as big as the car” would be translated as “书没有车大.”
This structure is also used for associating qualities, as in “X is as [adjective] as Y.” The sentence structure “X 像 Y 一样 [adjective]” is used.
For example, “The cat is as big as the dog” would translate as “猫像狗一样大.”

Remember looking at the comparisons through a logical perspective will help you comprehend and form sentences in Mandarin. You will notice that in Mandarin, comparing things is not that complicated. The more you practice, the more natural it will seem to you.