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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 2 · Chapter 6

这个不如那个 This one's not as good as that one

Zhège bùrú nàge

Two comparison patterns: A 不如 B ("A isn't as good as B") and A 跟 B 一样 ("A is the same as B"). Together with last chapter's 比 + 更/还 + 数量补语, they round out Level 2's comparison grammar.

这家不如那家 — This place isn't as good as that one

  1. 周雨 zhāngtiān, zhèjiājiā. Zhang Tian, this place isn't as good as that one.
  2. 张天 zěnme? zàizhèbiānháishìbiān? Not as good how? Is it on this side or that side?
  3. 周雨 jiāgēngxīn, gènggānjìng, gèngānjìng. That place is newer, cleaner, and quieter too.
  4. 张天 menjiā. Then let's go to that one.
  5. 周雨 hǎo, chū! Great, let's go!

你的手机跟我的一样吗 — Is your phone the same as mine

  1. 周雨 deshǒugēndeyàngma? Is your phone the same as mine?
  2. 张天 deshǒugēndeyàng. My phone is different from yours.
  3. 周雨 zěnmeyàng? How are they different?
  4. 张天 degēngxīn, gèngqīng. Yours is newer, and lighter too.
  5. 周雨 guòdecuò. But yours is pretty good too.

这本不如那本重 — This book isn't as heavy as that one

  1. 周雨 zhèběnshūzhòngma? xiǎngdàiběnqīngde. Is this book heavy? I want to take a light one.
  2. 张天 zhòng. zhèběnběnzhòng. Not heavy. This one isn't as heavy as that one.
  3. 周雨 běnshìxīndema? Is that one new?
  4. 张天 shì, dànshìzhèběncuò. Yes, but this one is pretty good too.
  5. 周雨 kànzhèběn. Then I'll read this one.
汉字PinyinTừ loạiNghĩa
不如 bùrú v. not as good as — A 不如 B (chapter grammar anchor)
一样 yīyàng adj./adv. the same — used in 跟…一样 (chapter grammar anchor)
不一样 bù yīyàng adj. different — negative pair of 一样
干净 gānjìng adj. clean
不错 búcuò adj. pretty good; not bad
chà adj. bad; poor in quality (also Level 2: chà differs from 差不多 ch2 — same character)
zhòng adj. heavy (also reads chóng "again" — deferred)
qīng adj. light (in weight) — pair with 重
yuǎn adj. far (in distance)
jìn adj. near; close (in distance)
prep. distance from — A 离 B + adj/distance (formal lesson ch13)
汉字PinyinTừ loạiNghĩa
as if; like (in 如果) 不如 bùrú — not as good as — A 不如 B (chapter grammar anchor)如果 rúguǒ — if (conditional; pairs with 那 — 如果 X 那 Y)
gān / gàn dry (gān, in 干净); to do (gàn, deferred) 干净 gānjìng — clean能干 nénggàn — capable; able
jìng clean (in 干净) 干净 gānjìng — clean
qīng light (in weight) — pair with 重
dài bring; take (recall Bk1)
distance from (revisit ch6 vocab); apart from

yuǎn far (in distance) Viết

7 strokes left-right radical 辶

Phono-semantic compound: 辶 (walking radical) + 元 (yuán, both phonetic AND semantic — 元 originally meant "head / origin / far-away start"). Together: "to walk to a faraway place". Forms the core distance pair with 近 (near).

jìn near; close (in distance) Viết

7 strokes left-right radical 辶

Phono-semantic compound: 辶 (walking radical) + 斤 (jīn, phonetic — also means "axe / catty"). Together: "a short walk away". The core opposite of 远.

tóng same; together Viết

6 strokes top-bottom

同 = "together / same / identical". Original sense: bringing things together to match. Modern uses: 同样 (likewise), 同事 (colleague — "together-business"), 同学 (classmate — "together-study"). The "sameness" cluster.

chà / chā / chāi bad / poor (chà, this chapter); 差不多 prefix (chà, ch2 revisit); difference (chā, formal); to send (chāi) Viết

9 strokes top-bottom

gān / gàn dry (gān, in 干净); to do (gàn, deferred) Nhận biết

3 strokes single-component

jìng clean (in 干净) Nhận biết

8 strokes left-right radical 氵

zhòng / chóng heavy (zhòng, this chapter); again (chóng, deferred) Nhận biết

9 strokes single-component

qīng light (in weight) — pair with 重 Nhận biết

9 strokes left-right radical 车

A 不如 B — "not as good as" A 不如 B — "not as good as"

"A 不如 B"表示"A 比不上 B", 是"A 比 B + adj"的反面: 如果 A 比 B 大, 那么 B 不如 A 大。也可以加上形容词: "A 不如 B + 形容词"="A 在这个特点上比 B 差". 注意: "不如"没有肯定的对应词, 要说"A 跟 B 一样好"或"A 比 B 好"。一个可比的肯定句型是"A 有 B 那么 + 形容词"="A 跟 B 一样 [adj]"——这个句型很常见, 但本课作为简介, 重点在"不如"。

A 不如 B means "A isn't as good as B" — the negative side of the comparison family (the opposite of A 比 B + adj). You can add an adjective: A 不如 B + adj = "A is less [adj] than B". Important: 不如 has no affirmative version. To say "A is as good as B", use 跟…一样 (next lesson) or 比 patterns. There IS an affirmative cousin — A 有 B 那么 + adj ("A is as [adj] as B") — but it's very common; this chapter introduces it as a brief gloss, with the main focus on 不如.

  • 这家不如那家. Zhè jiā bùrú nà jiā. This place is not as good as that one.
  • 这本不如那本重. Zhè běn bùrú nà běn zhòng. This book is not as heavy as that one.
  • 这个不如那个干净. Zhège bùrú nàge gānjìng. This one isn't as clean as that one.

A 跟 B 一样 — "the same as" A 跟 B 一样 — "the same as"

"A 跟 B 一样"表示 A 和 B 相等。加上形容词时: "A 跟 B 一样 + 形容词"="A 和 B 一样 [adj]"。否定: "A 跟 B 不一样"——注意"不"放在"一样"前。注意: "跟"是介词, "一样"是形容词谓语, 两个一起出现, 不能分开使用("我跟你"前面不带名词的话不完整, "我们一样"少了"跟"也不成立)。

A 跟 B 一样 means "A is the same as B". Add an adjective for "as [adj] as": A 跟 B 一样 + adj = "A is as [adj] as B". Negate by inserting 不 before 一样: A 跟 B 不一样 = "A is different from B". Crucial pattern rule: 跟 (preposition) and 一样 (adjective predicate) work together — neither half stands alone in this construction. "我跟你" by itself isn't a complete clause (missing the predicate); "我们一样" without 跟 isn't the comparison pattern (it's just a different sentence). Always pair them.

  • 你的手机跟我的一样吗? Nǐ de shǒujī gēn wǒ de yīyàng ma? Is your phone the same as mine?
  • 我的手机跟你的不一样. Wǒ de shǒujī gēn nǐ de bù yīyàng. My phone is different from yours.
  • 这家跟那家一样干净. Zhè jiā gēn nà jiā yīyàng gānjìng. This place is as clean as that one.

半三声 — half-third tone in connected speech Half-third tone in connected speech

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