# HSK 2 Grammar: A 有/没有 B (+这么/那么) + Adjective | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-2-comparisons-1-g063 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-2-g063 HSK levels: 2 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:55:37.344Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to form Chinese comparative sentences using 有 (yǒu) and 没有 (méiyǒu) with 这么 (zhème) and 那么 (nàme) for HSK 2 preparation. Grammar [HSK 2 · Sentence types › Special sentence patterns › Comparisons 1](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-2#hsk-2-g063) # HSK 2 Comparative Sentences: Using 有 (yǒu) and 没有 (méiyǒu) to Compare Degree This lesson explains the HSK 2 comparative pattern A 有/没有 B (+这么/那么) + Adjective, showing how to express whether one item reaches the same degree of a quality as another. Item A (Subject being compared) 没有 Item B (Benchmark standard) （这么 / 那么） Adjective (Quality compared) Example sentence 今天没有昨天冷。 jīntiān méiyǒu zuótiān lěng . Today is not as cold as yesterday. Basic negative comparison without 这么 or 那么. Yesterday is the benchmark. A common mistake × 今天没有昨天很冷。 jīntiān méiyǒu zuótiān hěn lěng . Incorrect: Today is not as very cold as yesterday. Incorrect: Do not use 很 (hěn) before the adjective in a comparative sentence. Use 今天没有昨天冷 instead. Corrected example: 今天没有昨天冷。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What This Comparative Pattern Does In the HSK 2 grammar outline, comparative sentences include the pattern A 有/没有 B (+这么/那么) + 形容词 (adjective). While basic comparisons with 比 (bǐ) state that one thing exceeds another, the 有 (yǒu) and 没有 (méiyǒu) pattern treats item B as a benchmark or standard. It asks or states whether item A reaches the level of item B in a specific quality, such as height, price, size, or temperature. Think of 有 (yǒu) here not as possession ('to have'), but as 'to reach the degree of.' Consequently, 没有 (méiyǒu) means 'does not reach the degree of,' which translates naturally into English as 'A is not as [adjective] as B.' ## Saying 'Not As... As' with 没有 (méiyǒu) In everyday conversation, the negative form with 没有 (méiyǒu) is far more common than the affirmative form. You use it when item B already possesses a known degree of an adjective, and you want to state that item A falls short of that benchmark. Item A (Subject being compared) 没有 Item B (Benchmark standard) （这么 / 那么） Adjective (Quality compared) 今天没有昨天冷。 jīntiān méiyǒu zuótiān lěng . Today is not as cold as yesterday. Basic negative comparison without 这么 or 那么. Yesterday is the benchmark. In the sentence above, yesterday is the benchmark for coldness. Saying today 'does not have' yesterday's coldness means today is less cold than yesterday. Note that in spoken Chinese, 没 (méi) is often used as a shortened form of 没有 (méiyǒu), though the syllabus formula explicitly lists the full form 没有 (méiyǒu). ## Adding 这么 (zhème) and 那么 (nàme) The syllabus formula places 这么 (zhème, 'this much / so') and 那么 (nàme, 'that much / so') in parentheses because they are optional in many sentences, especially with 没有 (méiyǒu). However, adding them makes the benchmark more vivid and specific. - 这么 presents the benchmark as “this degree”, often near or prominent from the speaker’s perspective. The closeness can be physical or part of the discourse; it is not fixed by the person of a pronoun. - 那么 presents the benchmark as “that degree”, often referring back to a mentioned or more distant standard. Perspective matters more than a strict distance or first-person/third-person rule. 他的房间没有这间这么大。 tā de fángjiān méiyǒu zhè jiān zhème dà . His room is not as big as this room. 这么 frames the pointed-out room as the current “this-degree” benchmark; it does not prove the speaker is physically inside that room. 这家店的水果没有那家店那么贵。 zhè jiā diàn de shuǐguǒ méiyǒu nà jiā diàn nàme guì . The fruit at this shop is not as expensive as at that shop. 那么 refers to the degree associated with 那家店. It can refer back to a shop under discussion, rather than requiring a particular physical distance. ## Using Affirmative 有 (yǒu) in Questions and Statements Affirmative 有 can ask whether A reaches a benchmark or state that it does: 他有我高. Context makes the comparison useful. It does not by itself say that A has only just caught up, or establish an exact numerical equality; 现在 and 了 contribute the change reading in the son’s-height example. Item A (Subject being compared) 有 Item B (Benchmark standard) （这么 / 那么） Adjective (Quality compared) 吗？ 弟弟有哥哥那么高吗？ dìdi yǒu gēge nàme gāo ma ? Is the younger brother as tall as the older brother? Affirmative 有 (yǒu) used naturally in a yes/no question with 吗 (ma). Item A (Subject being compared) 有 Item B (Benchmark standard) （这么 / 那么） Adjective (Quality compared) 他儿子现在有他这么高了。 tā érzi xiànzài yǒu tā zhème gāo le . His son is now as tall as him. Affirmative 有 (yǒu) with 这么 (zhème) showing that the son has reached the father's height. 这么 or 那么 often makes the degree reference explicit. It can be useful in a learner’s full answer, but it is not mandatory in every affirmative comparison: 他有我高 is possible when the intended comparison is clear. ## Important Contrasts and Common Mistakes A frequent error for learners is keeping the default degree adverb 很 (hěn, 'very') before the adjective. Because the comparative structure itself (or the words 这么/那么) already defines the degree of the adjective, adding 很 (hěn) or 非常 (fēicháng) is ungrammatical. × 今天没有昨天很冷。 jīntiān méiyǒu zuótiān hěn lěng . Incorrect: Today is not as very cold as yesterday. Incorrect: Do not use 很 (hěn) before the adjective in a comparative sentence. Use 今天没有昨天冷 instead. Corrected example: 今天没有昨天冷。 A 没有 B 冷 says A is less cold than B. With 那么贵, the speaker often foregrounds B’s degree of expensiveness, but that is a contextual implication rather than proof that B is expensive by an absolute standard. A price comparison need not mean both items are expensive. ## Frequently asked questions **Can I always leave out 这么 (zhème) and 那么 (nàme)?** Often, but check the complete sentence. 今天没有昨天冷 and 他有我高 are possible without them. Keeping 这么/那么 is a useful way to make the degree reference clear, not an absolute grammatical requirement restricted to negative sentences. **What kind of words can go in the adjective slot?** At the HSK 2 level, use gradable adjectives that describe measurable or comparable qualities, such as 高 (gāo, tall), 大 (dà, big), 贵 (guì, expensive), 冷 (lěng, cold), 热 (rè, hot), or 好 (hǎo, good). **How do I answer a comparative question that uses 有 (yǒu)?** To answer in the negative, use 没有 (méiyǒu), either as a short answer or a full sentence (for example, 弟弟没有哥哥那么高). To answer in the affirmative, repeat the statement with 有 (yǒu) and 这么/那么, or state that A is even more [adjective]. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 390](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=390) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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