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Comparing Two Things with 更 and 还
Use A比B更/还+adjective to say that A has a quality to a greater degree than B. Place 更 or 还 after 比B and before the adjective.
今天的天气比昨天更冷。
更 marks the greater degree of cold.
Read the full explanation and examples
Meaning and scope
This pattern compares the degree of one quality in two people, places, things, or actions. The sentence says that A has the quality more strongly than B: A is colder, busier, faster, or more interesting than B. The outline lists this as a level 3 special sentence pattern. Its scope here is the 比 comparison with 更 or 还 before an adjective.
Build the sentence
- Put the first person or thing in the A position.
- Add 比, then name the person or thing used as the comparison, B.
- Put 更 or 还 before the adjective.
- Use the adjective to state the quality being compared.
A and B identify the two sides of the comparison. They may be people, objects, places, or activities. In the examples, the comparison can be between two days, two ways of travelling, two people, or two books.
See the pattern in context
今天的天气比昨天更冷。
更 marks the greater degree of cold.
坐高铁比坐汽车还快。
还 emphasizes the greater speed in this comparison.
我姐姐比我更忙，所以她常常很晚回家。
所以 introduces the result: she often gets home late. Her greater busyness is the reason given before 所以.
这本书比那本还有意思。
The adjective phrase 有意思 describes the quality being compared.
Choosing 更 or 还
Compare 他比我高, 他比我更高 and 他比我还高. All can be grammatical. 更 foregrounds a higher degree; 还 often adds an “even higher” emphasis relative to expectations. Neither word fixes the size of the gap: 他比我还高一点 is possible. The context, not the marker alone, determines whether the difference is large or small.
- Use 更 for a clear, neutral comparison, such as comparing today’s weather with yesterday’s.
- Use 还 when the speaker wants to stress that the difference is notable, as in saying one option is even faster.
- The adjective remains after 更 or 还 in both forms.
When to use it
Use this pattern when you want to state a difference in degree, not merely identify two things. It works well in ordinary statements about weather, speed, workload, interest, and similar qualities. The examples are statements. In conversation, a speaker could also ask a question by adding a question form around the comparison, but the comparison itself still follows the same order.
A useful check is to locate the adjective first: it names the quality being compared. Then check that 比 introduces B and that 更 or 还 comes immediately before that adjective. The pattern focuses on A being higher in degree than B. It does not mean that A and B have the same degree; that is a different comparison meaning and lies outside this lesson’s scope.
Frequently asked questions
Where do 更 and 还 go?
Place either word after 比B and before the adjective: A比B更/还+adjective.
Can 更 and 还 always be exchanged?
They overlap in this pattern, but their emphasis and naturalness can differ by context. 更 often sounds like a direct comparison; 还 can add a sense of “even more.”
