The structure 一…比一…
With the structure we compare an object to itself at different time periods. In English we can express this as well, for example: “the weather is getting better day by day”, “the exam is getting harder every time”. In Chinese we should state the subject at the beginning of the sentence. It is should be followed by a combination of the word “一” and a measure word.
Scheme
subject
一 measure word
一 measure word
predicate
Pay attention
We usually state the structure in the second part of the sentence, which should be separated with a comma.
Examples
你打篮球打得太厉害了,一次比一次
You play basketball really well. You’re getting better and better every time
nǐ dǎ lánqiú dǎ de tài lìhài le, yí cì bǐ yí cì hǎo
运动的人,一年比一年
More and more people exercise every year
yùndòng de rén, yì nián bǐ yì nián duō
We can also use this structure to compare similar objects that are united by some common feature.
Examples
这些女孩子,一个比一个漂亮
These girls — each one is more beautiful than the previous one
zhè xiē nǚháizi, yí ge bǐ yí ge piàoliang
她的歌儿,一首比一首感动
Her songs are becoming more and more touching
tā de gēr, yì shǒu bǐ yì shǒu gǎndòng
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