Introduction
得多 (de duō) and 多了 (duō le) say "a lot more" without a figure. When you do know the figure — three years, five centimetres, twenty kuai — it goes straight onto the end of the comparison: 他比我大三岁 (Tā bǐ wǒ dà sān suì).
Overview
Structure: A + 比 (bǐ) + B + Adj. + Number + Measure Word
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 他比我大三岁。(Tā bǐ wǒ dà sān suì.) | He's three years older than me. |
| Height | 他比我高五公分。(Tā bǐ wǒ gāo wǔ gōngfēn.) | He's five centimetres taller than me. |
| Money | 这个比那个贵二十块。(Zhège bǐ nàge guì èrshí kuài.) | This one is twenty kuai more than that one. |
| Time | 我比他早到十分钟。(Wǒ bǐ tā zǎo dào shí fēnzhōng.) | I got there ten minutes before him. |
| A vague amount | 他比我大一点儿。(Tā bǐ wǒ dà yìdiǎnr.) | He's a little older than me. |
The amount comes after the adjective, and 很 (hěn) is still barred:
- ✓ 他比我大三岁。(Tā bǐ wǒ dà sān suì.) ❌ 他比我三岁大。(Tā bǐ wǒ sān suì dà.)
- ❌ 他比我很大三岁。(Tā bǐ wǒ hěn dà sān suì.) — nothing goes between 比 (bǐ) and the adjective.
- The scale runs: 一点儿 (yìdiǎnr) a shade → 三岁 (sān suì) an exact figure → 得多 (de duō) ／ 多了 (duō le) a lot.
- ❌ 他比我大很多三岁。(Tā bǐ wǒ dà hěn duō sān suì.) — pick one, a figure or a vague amount, never both.
Examples
他比我大三岁。
Tā bǐ wǒ dà sān suì.
He's three years older than me.
我妹妹比我小两岁。
Wǒ mèimei bǐ wǒ xiǎo liǎng suì.
My little sister is two years younger than me.
这件衣服比那件贵一百块。
Zhè jiàn yīfu bǐ nà jiàn guì yìbǎi kuài.
This jacket is a hundred kuai more than that one.
今天比昨天冷五度。
Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān lěng wǔ dù.
It's five degrees colder today than yesterday.
他比我高五公分。
Tā bǐ wǒ gāo wǔ gōngfēn.
He's five centimetres taller than me.
我比他早到十分钟。
Wǒ bǐ tā zǎo dào shí fēnzhōng.
I arrived ten minutes earlier than he did.
Usage Notes
- The adjective has to be the one that measures the gap: age takes 大 (dà) and 小 (xiǎo), not 老 (lǎo) and 年轻 (niánqīng).
- The same slot takes a vague amount — 一点儿 (yìdiǎnr)、一些 (yìxiē) — when you do not want to commit to a figure.
- 得多 (de duō) and 多了 (duō le) live in that slot too, so they cannot share it with a number: ✓ 他比我大得多 (Tā bǐ wǒ dà de duō) ✓ 他比我大三岁 (Tā bǐ wǒ dà sān suì).
- Without 比 (bǐ), the same amount just states a fact: 他二十三岁 (Tā èrshísān suì) — he's twenty-three.
- To ask the gap, use 多 (duō) plus the adjective: 他比你大多少？(Tā bǐ nǐ dà duōshao?) — how much older is he?