# Chinese Grammar: A不比B+Adjective | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3-comparisons-2-g076 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-3-g076 HSK levels: 3 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:01.720Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how 不比 limits a comparison, how context shapes its meaning, and how to distinguish it from a direct 比 comparison. Grammar [HSK 3 · Sentence types › Special sentence patterns › Comparisons 2](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3#hsk-3-g076) # Using A不比B+Adjective to Make a Careful Comparison Learn how to form A不比B+adjective and use it to say that A is not more adjective than B, or to challenge the expectation that A is more so. Context matters: the sentence does not always mean that A is worse or less than B. first person or thing 不比 comparison target + quality being compared Example sentence 这辆公共汽车不比那辆火车快。 Zhè liàng gōnggòng qìchē bù bǐ nà liàng huǒchē kuài. This bus is not faster than that train. It may be just as fast or slower. **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What the pattern means This lesson covers the outline point A不比B+adjective. The outline identifies it as a level 3 special sentence pattern under sentence types; that scope does not establish which exam version is currently administered at any test centre. 不比 literally negates the comparison with B. In a neutral context, A不比B+adjective means that A is not more adjective than B. It can leave open whether A and B are equal or whether A is less adjective. It does not, by itself, tell you which. When a speaker counters an expectation, the same form can suggest that A is not as adjective as someone might suppose, without stating that A is definitely lower. Keep the comparison pointed in the right direction: 不比B means “not more than B” in the stated respect. It does not automatically mean “less than B,” “worse than B,” or “not comparable to B.” The adjective and context determine what quality is being compared. ## Build the sentence first person or thing 不比 comparison target + quality being compared Put the first thing being discussed in A. Follow it with 不比, then put the comparison target in B and the adjective at the end. The adjective names the dimension being compared, such as speed, size, price, usefulness, coldness, or difficulty. The plus sign in the formula marks the adjective slot; it is not spoken. - Choose A: the person or thing you want to describe. - Choose B: the person or thing used as the comparison point. - Add 不比 before B, then finish with the relevant adjective. - Use time, place, or shared background when needed to make the comparison clear. ## Read the comparison in context 这辆公共汽车不比那辆火车快。 Zhè liàng gōnggòng qìchē bù bǐ nà liàng huǒchē kuài. This bus is not faster than that train. It may be just as fast or slower. The sentence denies that the bus is faster than the train. It does not decide whether the two have the same speed or the bus is slower. 我的房间不比他的房间大。 Wǒ de fángjiān bù bǐ tā de fángjiān dà. My room is not bigger than his room. The rooms may be the same size. The comparison concerns size. The listener should not infer that the speaker’s room must be smaller; it could be the same size. 这杯茶不比咖啡便宜。 Zhè bēi chá bù bǐ kāfēi piányi. This cup of tea is not cheaper than the coffee. The sentence does not say that the tea is more expensive. The adjective 便宜 compares cheapness. The tea is not cheaper than the coffee; it may cost the same or more. Do not reverse the direction to “not more expensive.” 这部新手机不比旧手机好用。 Zhè bù xīn shǒujī bù bǐ jiù shǒujī hǎoyòng. This new phone does not work any better than the old one. 好用 concerns how well or easily something works in use. The speaker rejects a claim that the new phone is better in this respect. Here 好用 concerns how well or easily the phone works in use. The sentence rejects the claim that the new one is better in this respect; it can counter enthusiastic praise without establishing that the new phone is worse. ## Statements, questions, and conversational use A statement with 不比 denies a greater degree. Adding 吗 makes a question, whose conversational force must be read in context. In particular, a rhetorical negative question can challenge the listener and expect agreement with the positive comparison. Do not carry the plain statement’s denial over unchanged. 今天的天气不比昨天冷吗？ Jīntiān de tiānqì bù bǐ zuótiān lěng ma? Isn’t today’s weather colder than yesterday’s? As a rhetorical question, this expects agreement that today is colder. Do not interpret that use as the plain negative statement “today is no colder.” For example, after someone claims that today feels warm, the speaker can respond: 你还说今天暖和？今天的天气不比昨天冷吗？ Here the speaker argues that today is colder than yesterday. This rhetorical force is different from the neutral statement 今天的天气不比昨天冷, which denies a greater degree of cold. 这次考试不比上次难。 Zhè cì kǎoshì bù bǐ shàng cì nán. This test is not harder than the last one. The difficulty may be equal or lower. In a discussion about test difficulty, this says the current test is not harder than the previous one. It leaves equality and lower difficulty open. ## Contrast it with a direct 比 comparison A direct A比B+adjective sentence says that A is more adjective than B. Adding 不 before 比 changes the claim: A不比B+adjective says that A is not more adjective than B. Do not translate the negative form by simply switching the adjective to its opposite. “Not faster than” does not necessarily mean “slower than,” just as “not more expensive than” does not necessarily mean “cheaper than.” - Ask what quality the adjective describes. - Identify which person or thing is A and which is B. - Read 不比 as “not more [adjective] than,” then use context to decide whether equality, a lower degree, or a surprised or corrective tone is intended. - If you mean specifically that A is less adjective than B, use additional context or a clearer wording rather than treating 不比 alone as proof. ## Frequently asked questions **Does A不比B+adjective mean that A is less adjective than B?** Not necessarily. It says A is not more adjective than B. A and B could be equal, or A could be lower on that quality; context helps distinguish the possibilities. **Can I ask a question with this pattern?** Yes, but read the question’s force in context. A rhetorical question such as 今天的天气不比昨天冷吗？ can expect agreement that today is colder, rather than express the denial made by a plain 不比 statement. **Should I replace the adjective with its opposite when I translate 不比?** No. Translate the comparison as “not more [adjective] than.” “Not faster than” does not establish “slower than,” and “not bigger than” does not establish “smaller than.” **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 394](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=394) ## 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)