Degrees of comparison
Adjectives have two degrees of comparison: comparative and superlative.
For example, clean — cleaner — cleanest.
Let's see how they are formed in Chinese.
The comparative degree
In English, we can form the comparative degree either by adding suffixes or by preceding the adjective with the word “more”. For example: big — bigger, clever — more clever.
The comparative degree shows that "A" is more "something" than "B". Comparative adjectives are used to compare differences between the two objects they modify.
In Chinese, the comparative degree is formed with the adverb 更 
which comes before an adjective or verb.
which comes before an adjective or verb.Scheme
更
adjective/verb
Examples
本地的水果更便宜
Local fruits are cheaper
běndì de shuǐguǒ gèng piányi
你更漂亮了
You're even more beautiful
nǐ gèng piàoliang le
With degrees of comparison we can use verbs that denote:
1) feelings and emotions:
爱
喜欢
想
愿意
喜欢
想
愿意 Examples
爸爸喜欢踢足球，我更喜欢
Dad likes to play soccer, but I like it even more
bàba xǐhuan tī zúqiú, wǒ gèng xǐhuan
2) skills and interest:
了解
感兴趣
会
感兴趣
会 Examples
女性比男性更会存钱
Women are better at saving money than men
nǚxìng bǐ nánxìng gēng huì cún qián
Pay attention
The adverb 更 is often used in comparison sentences with 比 .
.3) additions, increases, or decreases:
增加
降低
扩大
增长
降低
扩大
增长 Examples
平均工资更增长了
The average wage has increased even more
píngjūn gōngzī gèng zēngjiā le
The superlative degree
We can form the superlative degree either by adding suffixes or by preceding the adjective with the word “most”.
For example: big — biggest, high — highest.
The superlative degree shows that "A" is superior to all the others. Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a quality.
In Chinese, the superlative degree is formed with the adverb 最 placed before an adjective or a verb.
placed before an adjective or a verb.Scheme
最
adjective/verb
Examples
我妈妈最漂亮
My mother is the most beautiful person
wǒ māma zuì piàoliang
我最想去中国
I want to go to China the most
wǒ zuì xiǎng qù zhōngguó
Pay attention
With the adverb 最, we can only use verbs that denote feelings, emotions, skills, and interest.
Verbs that denote additions, increases or decreases must use the adverb 更.
If we speak about a group of objects or boundaries within which an object is the “most”, we should state them before the comparison.
We don't use the preposition “in” in this case. However, postpositions are often used after the verb or adjective.
Examples
我们班他最高
He is the tallest in our class
wǒmen bān tā zuì gāo
你是世界上最聪明的人
You are the smartest in the world
nǐ shì shìjiè shàng zuì cōngmíng de rén
Learn more