# Adjective + Quantity Complement (形容词+数量补语) | HSK 2 Grammar | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-2-quantity-complements-2-g054 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-2-g054 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 place a quantity phrase after an adjective in Mandarin Chinese to express exact differences in comparisons and measurable changes. Grammar [HSK 2 · Sentence components › Complement › Quantity complements 2](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-2#hsk-2-g054) # Adjective + Quantity Complement (形容词+数量补语) in Chinese A quantity phrase after an adjective can measure an absolute property, a comparison difference or a change. Compare 高一米 (one metre tall), 比我高十厘米 (ten centimetres taller than me) and 高了十厘米 (ten centimetres taller than before). Interpret the adjective and context, not word order alone. Subject A 比 Target B Adjective Quantity Phrase (Number + Measure Word) Example sentence 哥哥比我大三岁。 Gēge bǐ wǒ dà sān suì. My older brother is three years older than me. The adjective 大 (dà, old) comes first, followed directly by the quantity complement 三岁 (sān suì, three years). A common mistake × 哥哥比我三岁大。 Gēge bǐ wǒ sān suì dà. Intended: My older brother is three years older than me. Incorrect word order. The quantity phrase 三岁 (sān suì) must follow the adjective 大 (dà) as a complement, not precede it. Use 哥哥比我大三岁 instead. Corrected example: 哥哥比我大三岁。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What an Adjective + Quantity Complement Does In the HSK Level 2 grammar syllabus, the pattern Adjective + Quantity Complement (形容词+数量补语) is classified as a sentence constituent under Complements: Quantity Complement 2. In English, an exact difference comes before the comparative adjective: 'three years older', 'ten centimeters taller', or 'fifty yuan more expensive'. In Mandarin Chinese, any element that completes or quantifies the predicate from behind is called a complement (补语, bǔyǔ). When you want to state by how much something is bigger, more expensive, heavier, or earlier, the adjective comes first as the main predicate, and the quantity phrase (a number plus a measure word, and sometimes a noun) follows immediately after it. 哥哥比我大三岁。 Gēge bǐ wǒ dà sān suì. My older brother is three years older than me. The adjective 大 (dà, old) comes first, followed directly by the quantity complement 三岁 (sān suì, three years). The quantity can be an absolute measurement: 这张桌子高八十厘米 means the table is 80 cm tall. In 这张桌子比那张高十厘米, it is a difference between tables. In 这棵树高了十厘米, it describes an increase. A comparison is therefore not implied by every adjective followed by a quantity. ## Sentence Structures and Contexts of Use Use the pattern to report a dimension directly, or to give a difference in a comparison or a change. The two frames below illustrate comparisons and contextual changes; a plain measurement can also use Subject + Adjective + Quantity, as in 这张桌子高八十厘米. Subject A 比 Target B Adjective Quantity Phrase (Number + Measure Word) In a 比 (bǐ) sentence, the comparison target (B) precedes the adjective, and the exact difference follows the adjective. Common adjectives in this slot represent measurable dimensions: 大 (dà, old/big), 小 (xiǎo, young/small), 高 (gāo, tall/high), 矮 (ǎi, short in height), 长 (cháng, long), 短 (duǎn, short in length), 贵 (guì, expensive), 便宜 (piányi, cheap), 重 (zhòng, heavy), 轻 (qīng, light), 早 (zǎo, early), and 晚 (wǎn, late). 这件衣服比那件贵五十块。 Zhè jiàn yīfu bǐ nà jiàn guì wǔshí kuài. This piece of clothing is fifty yuan more expensive than that one. Here 贵 (guì, expensive) is followed by 五十块 (wǔshí kuài, fifty yuan) to state the exact price difference. Subject A Adjective （了） Quantity Phrase (Number + Measure Word) When comparing an item to its own past state (a change over time) or when the second item is omitted because both speakers already know what is being compared, the word 比 (bǐ) is not needed. When describing a completed change—such as gaining weight, growing taller, or a price dropping—the aspect particle 了 (le) is normally placed right after the adjective and before the quantity complement. 这个月我重了两公斤。 Zhège yuè wǒ zhòng le liǎng gōngjīn. I gained two kilograms (became two kilograms heavier) this month. Without 比 (bǐ), the adjective 重 (zhòng, heavy) plus 了 (le) and the quantity complement 两公斤 (liǎng gōngjīn) expresses a measurable change compared to the speaker's previous weight. 这张桌子高十厘米。 Zhè zhāng zhuōzi gāo shí límǐ. This table is ten centimetres tall. (With an established comparison: This table is ten centimetres taller.) Without a comparison context, 高十厘米 can give the table’s total height. If two tables are already being compared, it can instead give the difference. Add 比那张 when you need to make the comparative reading explicit. ## Position Restrictions and Common Learner Errors Because many languages place the measurement before the adjective, the most frequent mistake is reversing the adjective and the quantity phrase. In Mandarin, a quantity phrase placed before an adjective does not express a comparative margin. To express 'by how much', the quantity phrase must stay after the adjective. × 哥哥比我三岁大。 Gēge bǐ wǒ sān suì dà. Intended: My older brother is three years older than me. Incorrect word order. The quantity phrase 三岁 (sān suì) must follow the adjective 大 (dà) as a complement, not precede it. Use 哥哥比我大三岁 instead. Corrected example: 哥哥比我大三岁。 In an ordinary 比 comparison, say 比那件贵五十块 rather than 比那件很贵五十块. 很 or 非常 is not normally inserted before the adjective in this pattern. Do not extend this into a ban on all adverbs with any measured adjective: expressions such as 只高十厘米 or 大约高一米 are natural. Choose the modifier according to the whole construction. × 这件衣服比那件很贵五十块。 Zhè jiàn yīfu bǐ nà jiàn hěn guì wǔshí kuài. Intended: This item of clothing is fifty yuan more expensive than that one. Incorrect because the degree adverb 很 (hěn) cannot be used when an exact quantity complement (五十块) already specifies the degree of difference. Use 这件衣服比那件贵五十块 instead. Corrected example: 这件衣服比那件贵五十块。 - Keep the measure word: In Chinese, a number must still pair with an appropriate measure word or measurement unit (such as 岁 suì, 块 kuài, 公斤 gōngjīn, 厘米 límǐ, or 分钟 fēnzhōng) inside the complement. - Position of 了 (le): If 了 is used to mark a change of state, put it between the adjective and the quantity phrase (重了两公斤), or at the very end of the sentence, never before the adjective. - Absolute or relative? 高十厘米 can state a total height, or a difference if a comparison is clear. 比那张高十厘米 explicitly gives a difference; 高了十厘米 normally reports an increase from the previous height. ## Distinguishing This Pattern from Neighbouring Complements At the HSK 2 stage, you encounter several complement types that look similar on the surface because they all appear after the main predicate. Keeping their functions distinct will help you choose the right structure immediately: - Adjective + Quantity Complement (covered here) vs. Verb + Time-Duration Complement: Both use quantity phrases after the predicate, and time words like 十分钟 (shí fēnzhōng, ten minutes) can appear in both. However, after an action verb (such as 等了十分钟, 'waited for ten minutes'), the time phrase measures how long an action lasted. After an adjective like 早 (zǎo, early) or 晚 (wǎn, late), the time phrase measures the margin of difference in schedule or arrival time. - Adjective + Quantity Complement vs. State Complement with 得 (de): A state complement uses Verb + 得 + Adjective Phrase to describe the manner or result of an action (for example, how fast or how well someone runs). An Adjective + Quantity Complement does not use 得 (de); the adjective itself is the main predicate, and the following quantity phrase gives a numerical difference. - Adjective + Quantity Complement vs. Directional Complement: Directional complements attach movement verbs (like 出来, 进去, 上, or 回) after an action verb to show the path of motion. They apply to dynamic actions, whereas the quantity complement here attaches to gradable adjectives to measure static differences or changes in property. 今天的火车比昨天早十分钟。 Jīntiān de huǒchē bǐ zuótiān zǎo shí fēnzhōng. Today's train is ten minutes earlier than yesterday's. Although 十分钟 (shí fēnzhōng, ten minutes) is a time phrase, here it follows the adjective 早 (zǎo, early) to show a time difference, not the duration of an action. Quick check: Ask yourself whether you are stating 'by how much' an attribute differs. If the answer is a specific number and unit modifying an adjective like 'older', 'cheaper', 'heavier', or 'earlier', put the adjective first and the number + measure word right after it. ## Frequently asked questions **Does '这张桌子高十厘米' mean the table is 10 cm tall in total?** Yes, without a comparison context it can mean a total height of 10 cm. Context may instead make it mean “10 cm taller”. For a clear difference say 这张桌子比那张高十厘米; for a total height, 这张桌子高八十厘米 and 这张桌子有八十厘米高 are both possible. **Do I always have to use 比 (bǐ) with an Adjective + Quantity Complement?** No. While 比 (bǐ) is very common when naming both items being compared, you can omit 比 when the comparison target is already obvious from the conversation, or when you are describing a change over time (such as 瘦了三公斤, 'became three kilograms thinner'). **Why can't I put 很 (hěn) before the adjective in this pattern?** In the target 比 comparison, the natural pattern is 比那件贵五十块, without 很. This is a constructional restriction, not a general law that a vague description and a number can never coexist. In a plain description like 这件衣服很贵, 很 often gives a natural adjectival predicate and need not mean emphatic “very”. **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. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)