Pattern 1: 比 for 'more than'

The workhorse. Pattern: A + 比 + B + adjective.

• 我比他高。 (Wǒ bǐ tā gāo.) - I'm taller than him.
• 这个比那个贵。 (Zhè ge bǐ nà ge guì.) - This one is more expensive than that one.
• 中文比英文难。 (Zhōng wén bǐ yīng wén nán.) - Chinese is harder than English.
• 北京比上海冷。 (Běi jīng bǐ shàng hǎi lěng.) - Beijing is colder than Shanghai.

The adjective in the 比 frame is BARE - no 很 in front. 我比他高 (correct), not 我比他很高 (wrong; 很 here would be heard as 'I am very taller than him', which is incoherent).

To add a degree to the comparison:

• 我比他高一点。 (Wǒ bǐ tā gāo yì diǎn.) - I'm a bit taller than him.
• 我比他高多了。 (Wǒ bǐ tā gāo duō le.) - I'm much taller than him.
• 这个比那个贵五块钱。 (Zhè ge bǐ nà ge guì wǔ kuài qián.) - This one is five yuan more expensive than that one.

The degree (一点, 多了, a specific quantity) goes AFTER the adjective, not before.

Pattern 2: 比较 for 'relatively'

When there's no explicit B to compare to but you want to soften the adjective, use 比较 (bǐ jiào) in front.

• 这本书比较贵。 (Zhè běn shū bǐ jiào guì.) - This book is relatively expensive.
• 中文比较难。 (Zhōng wén bǐ jiào nán.) - Chinese is relatively hard.
• 今天比较冷。 (Jīn tiān bǐ jiào lěng.) - It's relatively cold today.

比较 says 'compared to the baseline / what you'd expect / similar things, this is more X'. It's a way to compare without specifying what you're comparing to. Useful for hedged opinions.

Pattern 3: 最 for the superlative 'most'

Pattern: 最 + adjective.

• 这是最贵的车。 (Zhè shì zuì guì de chē.) - This is the most expensive car.
• 中文最难学。 (Zhōng wén zuì nán xué.) - Chinese is the hardest to learn.
• 我最喜欢咖啡。 (Wǒ zuì xǐ huan kā fēi.) - I like coffee the most.
• 他是我最好的朋友。 (Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péng you.) - He's my best friend.

最 goes directly before the adjective or stative verb. When the noun is in the sentence, 的 typically joins the adjective phrase to the noun: 最贵的车 (the most expensive car), 最好的朋友 (the best friend).

Pattern 4: 跟/和…一样 for 'same as'

Pattern: A + 跟 (or 和) + B + 一样 + (adjective).

• 我跟他一样高。 (Wǒ gēn tā yí yàng gāo.) - I'm as tall as him.
• 这本书跟那本一样贵。 (Zhè běn shū gēn nà běn yí yàng guì.) - This book is as expensive as that one.
• 中文和英文不一样。 (Zhōng wén hé yīng wén bù yí yàng.) - Chinese and English are different.
• 我和他一样喜欢咖啡。 (Wǒ hé tā yí yàng xǐ huan kā fēi.) - I like coffee just as much as he does.

跟 and 和 are interchangeable here; 跟 is more colloquial, 和 slightly more formal. The adjective at the end is optional - if you just say 我跟他一样, you mean 'I'm the same as him' (generally).

To negate, put 不 in front of 一样: 我跟他不一样 (we are different), 这个跟那个不一样贵 (this one isn't as expensive as that one).

Negative comparison: 没有…那么…

The negative of 比 isn't 不比. It's a different structure entirely: A + 没有 + B + 那么 + adjective.

• 我没有他那么高。 (Wǒ méi yǒu tā nà me gāo.) - I'm not as tall as him.
• 这个没有那个那么贵。 (Zhè ge méi yǒu nà ge nà me guì.) - This one isn't as expensive as that one.
• 中文没有日文那么难。 (Zhōng wén méi yǒu rì wén nà me nán.) - Chinese isn't as hard as Japanese.

This pattern is technically Higher-tier in the AQA inventory but worth flagging now because the obvious 'wrong' form (不比) sounds genuinely odd in Mandarin and learners reach for it instinctively. The right negative is the 没有…那么 frame.

You can also drop 那么 if the comparison is shorter: 我没有他高 (I'm not as tall as him).

All four patterns side by side

What to internalise

1. 比 sentences take a BARE adjective. No 很, no 非常.
2. Quantities go AFTER the adjective. 高一点, 高多了, 贵五块钱.
3. 比较 is the standalone 'relatively' frame. Use it when there's no explicit B.
4. 最 is the simplest of the four. Just stick it in front.
5. The negative of 比 is 没有…那么, not 不比. Memorise the pattern.

For the wider sentence-pattern picture, the Mandarin grammar cheatsheet puts all four in context.