Kilo Lingo
Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 14

CEFR B1

4 min read

Test yourself (19 questions)

越来越 and 越…越 in Mandarin: More and More, the More the More

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

Two patterns built on one word. (yuè lái yuè) means "more and more": something keeps changing. A B (yuè … yuè …) means "the more A, the more B": one thing grows as another does. Both take the place of (hěn), and every (yuè) sits right before the word it measures.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the correct sentence.

  1. It's getting colder and colder.

  2. I like him more and more.

  3. He's eating more and more.

The whole system on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

越来越 yuè lái yuè (more and more)越…越 yuè…yuè (the more… the more)了 le (it has changed)What do the colours mean?
HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tiān yuè lái yuè lěng le.It's getting colder and colder
。Rén yuè lái yuè duō le.There are more and more people
。Wǒ yuè xiǎng yuè shēngqì.The more I think about it, the angrier I get
。Yuè duō yuè hǎo.The more the better

(yuè lái yuè) needs one word after it; (yuè) comes in pairs, one before each of two words.

越来越 (yuè lái yuè): more and more

越来越 yuè lái yuè (more and more)了 le (it has changed)What do the colours mean?

Subject + (yuè lái yuè) + adjective or verb of feeling, often + (le)

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tiān yuè lái yuè lěng le.It's getting colder and colder
。Háizi yuè lái yuè dà le.The children are getting bigger
。Wǒ yuè lái yuè xǐhuan zhèlǐ le.I like it here more and more
。Tā yuè lái yuè huì shuō Zhōngwén le.He's getting better and better at Chinese
Four panels: spring with a blossoming tree, flowers and a butterfly; summer with a beach, sea, sun, umbrella and ball; autumn with an orange tree and falling leaves; winter with snow, a snowy pine tree and a snowman.

天越来越冷了 (tiān yuè lái yuè lěng le): it's getting colder and colder, as autumn turns into winter. 冷 (lěng): cold.

Three rules, each with its proof:

  • No (hěn). already says how much: (yuè lái yuè hǎo), never . The same goes for (fēicháng) and (tài).
  • After the subject. It is an adverb: 。, not (yuè lái yuè tiān lěng le).
  • (le) for the change. The usual ending is (le), as in every row above: it says things have changed and are still changing.

Actions: verb + 得 (de) + 越来越 (yuè lái yuè)

越来越 yuè lái yuè (more and more)了 le (it has changed)What do the colours mean?

A plain action cannot be "more", so is wrong. Say the action, then (de), then (yuè lái yuè) and the adjective:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā chī de yuè lái yuè duō.He's eating more and more
。Tā pǎo de yuè lái yuè kuài.He's running faster and faster
。Tā chànggē chàng de yuè lái yuè hǎo le.Her singing keeps getting better

This is the (de) of complements: (pǎo de kuài), runs fast, becomes (pǎo de yuè lái yuè kuài), runs faster and faster.

越 A 越 B (yuè … yuè …): the more, the more

越…越 yuè…yuè (the more… the more)What do the colours mean?

Subject + + A, + B. Each (yuè) goes right before its own word, and like it replaces (hěn):

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā yuè shuō yuè kuài.The more he talks, the faster he goes
。Wǒ yuè kàn yuè xǐhuan.The more I look at it, the more I like it
。Wǒ yuè xiǎng yuè bù míngbai.The more I think, the less I understand
，。Nǐ yuè shuō, tā yuè shēngqì.The more you say, the angrier he gets

With one subject, say it once at the front: (wǒ yuè xiǎng yuè shēngqì). With two, each goes before its own (yuè), as in the last row: (tā yuè shēngqì), not .

A few short ones have no subject at all and are worth learning whole:

HanziPinyinEnglish
yuè duō yuè hǎothe more the better
yuè kuài yuè hǎothe sooner the better
yuè zǎo yuè hǎothe earlier the better

… (yuè…yuè) is on the AQA GCSE Chinese specification at Higher tier.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
。。 replaces (hěn)
。。the subject comes first
。。actions take (de)
。。each (yuè) before its own word
，。，。the subject goes before (yuè)
。。no (hěn) after (yuè)

All of these come from one habit: treating (yuè) like English "more", which can float. In Mandarin it is an adverb with a fixed seat, after the subject and straight before its word.

What to do next

  1. Do the drill below.
  2. Say three things that are changing around you with … (yuè lái yuè… le).
  3. Make two A B sentences about yourself, one with (yuè xiǎng yuè).

See also

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/4

Pick the correct sentence.

  1. It's getting colder and colder.

  2. I like him more and more.

  3. He's eating more and more.

  4. The more you say, the angrier he gets.

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order. Each 越 sits right before its own word.

  1. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. There are more and more people.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. The more he runs, the faster he goes.

    Your sentence is empty.

Sort into groups

0/5

Which goes in the gap: 越来越 or 越?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. tiān yuè lái yuè hěn lěng le 。

  2. wǒ yuè xiǎng yuè hěn shēng qì 。

  3. nǐ yuè shuō ， yuè tā shēng qì 。

Matching

0/4

Match each Mandarin sentence to its English.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'more and more' in Chinese?
Put (yuè lái yuè) before the adjective, and usually (le) at the end: (tiān yuè lái yuè lěng le), it's getting colder and colder. It also goes before verbs of feeling and ability: (wǒ yuè lái yuè xǐhuan zhèlǐ le), I like it here more and more.
Can you say ?
No. (yuè lái yuè) already says how much, so it replaces (hěn) instead of sitting next to it. Say (yuè lái yuè hǎo). The same goes for (fēicháng) and (tài).
What does A B mean?
'The more A, the more B.' Each (yuè) goes right before its own verb or adjective: (tā yuè shuō yuè kuài), the more he talks, the faster he goes. Fixed phrases include (yuè duō yuè hǎo), the more the better, and (yuè kuài yuè hǎo), the sooner the better.
Can A B have two different subjects?
Yes. Each subject goes before its own (yuè): ， (nǐ yuè shuō, tā yuè shēngqì), the more you say, the angrier he gets. With one subject, it is said once, at the front: (wǒ yuè xiǎng yuè shēngqì).
Can you use with any verb?
No: only with words that can be more or less, such as adjectives, feelings ( xǐhuan, like) and ability ( huì, can). For an action, use (de): (tā chī de yuè lái yuè duō), he eats more and more. is wrong.