RealHSK

HSK 4Lesson 9 of 14 · 3 grammar points

Comparative judgment and strong affirmation

不如 explicitly indicates falling short; 跟…相比 sets a comparative frame; double negatives can strengthen a claim or express necessity. Preserve these differences when paraphrasing instead of simplifying every sentence into a plain positive or negative.

Learning goals (3)
  • Falling short with 不如.
  • Compared with.
  • Double negation.

不如

Falling short with 不如

A不如B states that A falls below B in a relevant respect; an adjective may specify the dimension.

这本书不如那本有意思。

Zhè běn shū bù rú nà běn yǒu yì si.

This book is less interesting than that one.

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Pitfall: 不比 merely denies exceeding; 不如 positively indicates inferiority in the comparison.

跟…相比

Compared with

跟…相比 frames a comparison before the main evaluation.

跟去年相比，今年暖和多了。

Gēn qù nián xiāng bǐ, jīn nián nuǎn huo duō le.

Compared with last year, this year is much warmer.

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Pitfall: Make the compared entities commensurable.

用双重否定表示强调

Double negation

Two negatives can produce an emphatic affirmative or a necessity, as in 不能不.

我不能不考虑这个问题。

Wǒ bù néng bù kǎo lǜ zhè ge wèn tí.

I cannot avoid considering this problem.

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Pitfall: Different double-negative forms differ in force; do not simplify them all to plain 是.

Source details (official syllabus)

  • Falling short with 不如

    Syllabus item
    （1）A不如B（+形容词）
    Category
    比较句3
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L4-063
    PDF page
    397 (printed 394)

  • Compared with

    Syllabus item
    （2）跟……相比
    Category
    比较句3
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L4-064
    PDF page
    397 (printed 394)

  • Double negation

    Syllabus item
    用双重否定表示强调
    Category
    双重否定句
    Grammar ID
    grammar-L4-065
    PDF page
    397 (printed 394)