ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

to compare / than

4 strokes · 比 itself — two people standing side by side, sizing up · HSK 2

Where 比 comes from

比 is two people standing shoulder to shoulder, facing the same way — the very posture of comparison. Put two of anything side by side and 比 happens automatically.

比 in Chinese culture

比 builds the comparison grammar every learner needs by week three: A 比 B 大 (A is bigger than B) — no 'more/-er' needed, just 比 between rivals. 比如 is 'for example'; 比赛 is a competition — comparison formalized with referees. The scissors-hand ✌️ in photos is 比耶 ('doing the yeah'). China's exam culture runs on 比 — but so does every improvement: 比昨天好 (better than yesterday) is the only comparison this app asks of you.

Example

比如 bǐrú — for example

今天比昨天热。
Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān rè.
Today is hotter than yesterday.

How to remember it

Two figures side by side — COMPARED, one THAN the other.

The photo pose ✌️ is 比耶 'compare-yeah' — comparison even conquered the selfie.

Same sound, different tones

1st bī
to force
3rd bǐ
to compare
4th bì
must

Words unlocked by 比

比如 bǐrú
for example
比赛 bǐsài
competition
A比B大 A bǐ B dà
A is bigger than B
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One character a morning · 169-character HSK library · iOS