Lesson 101 How to Use the Word "比"?

M: Dàjiā hǎo. Huānyíng nǐmen dào Xiànzài Xué Hànyǔ. Wǒ shò ManLi.
S: Wǒ shì Stuart. Remember? 记得吗? Jìde ma? We're still in the Yíhéyuán. Wǒmen hái zài Yíhéyuán.

M:We discussed the best place to zhàoxiàng. We said, 这里好 zhèlǐ hào.

S: 但是，那边更好 dànshì, nàbian gèng hǎo.

M: 我觉得这里更好 wǒ juéde zhèlǐ gèng hǎo.

S:  Now listen for the word 比 bǐ when I say 'I reckon there's better than here' 我认为，那边比这里好 wǒ rènwéi, nà bian bǐ zhèlǐ hǎo.

M. Can you guess the meaning of bǐ? Listen when I say 'I'm better than him' 我比他好 wò bǐ tā hǎo.

S: Duì le! Bǐ here means 'compared with'. So how do you say 'I'm faster than him?

M. Méi cuò. 我比他快 wǒ bǐ tā kuài.

S:  And if 高GAO gao1 means 'tall', how do you say 'You're taller than him?'

M. Right. 你比他高ni3 bǐ tā gāo.

S:   Now say 'I'm taller than you'.

M: Duì le. 我比你高wǒ bǐ nǐ gāo.

S: Now listen, and guess the meaning of 矮 ǎi. Manli, 我比你高 wǒ bǐ nǐ gāo.

M: 对，我比你矮 duì, wǒ bǐ nǐ ǎi.

S: Guessed? Right, 矮ǎi ǎi, third tone, means 'short'.

S: So we've learnt 'tall' gao1, and 'short' ǎi. One small thing: nǐ, bǐ, wǒ and ǎi are all third tone words. But, as we've said before, pronouncing a third tone word followed directly by another third tone word is a bit awkward. So the first word is usually pronounced in the second tone. For example, it's much easier to say ní hǎo than nǐ hǎo. What do you do when you get three or four third tone words in a row? Well, it can get quite complicated if you think about it.

M: So don't think about it. Just mimic us and say what comes naturally, and you'll usually be right.

S: For example, 'I'm very short' is I 我 very 很 short 矮. ManLi will now tell us she is very short, and you guys at home say the same thing, (even if you are seven feet tall). Ready.

M: 我很矮 wǒ hěn ǎi.

S:  And now, 'I'm shorter than you'.

M: 我比你矮 wǒ bǐ nǐ ǎi.

S:  Now, 'he is shorter than me.'

M: 他比我矮 tā bǐ wǒ ǎi.

S:  And I will say, 'I'm better than you'. 我比你好 wǒ bǐ nǐ hǎo.

M: You're joking! Nǐ kāi wán xiào.

S: Now, to add to our ways of describing people, we'll finish by learning 'fat' and ‘thin', and practice using 比 BI bǐ. Listen out for the word for ‘fat'.

M: Stuart, you're fatter than me. 你比我胖nǐ bǐ wǒ pàng.

S: 对了，我比你胖 wǒ bǐ nǐ pàng.

M: Get the word for ‘fat'? Méi cuò. 胖PANG pàng.

S: And, ML, 'you're thinner than me'. 你比我瘦 nǐ bǐ wǒ shòu.

M: 对了， 我比你瘦 wǒ bǐ nǐ shòu. 瘦SHOU shòu, 'thin' or 'lean'.

S: So I'll lose weight before the next lesson, zàijiàn.

M: Zàijiàn.