一样 (yīyàng) is an adjective commonly used in Chinese to make basic comparisons by expressing that two things are the same. When directly comparing two nouns, 一样 (yīyàng) commonly appears in the following sentence structure:

Noun Phrase 1 + 跟 (gēn) / 和 (hé) + Noun Phrase 2 + 一样 (yīyàng)

In this structure, the conjunctions 跟 (gēn; and, with) or 和 (hé; and), are placed between the two nouns being compared. Then, 一样 (yīyàng) concludes the sentence by declaring that these two things are the same. Let’s look at an example:

Here, the two noun phrases being compared are “your hobbies” (你的爱好 nǐ de àihào) and “my hobbies” (我的爱好 wǒ de àihào). 一样 (yīyàng) is used to declare that these two things are the same. Note that in this context, 跟 (gēn) and 和 (hé) are interchangeable; in other words, either 跟 (gēn) or 和 (hé) can be used in the above sentence without changing the meaning.

In addition to directly comparing two nouns by stating that they are the same, 一样 (yīyàng) can also be used to compare a particular quality shared by two nouns. This can be done by simply tacking on an adjective to the end of the sentence as follows:

Noun 1 + 跟 (gēn) / 和 (hé) + Noun 2 + 一样 (yīyàng) + Adjective

Let’s look at an example:

In this sentence, the two nouns being compared are puppies (小狗 xiǎo gǒu) and kittens (小猫 xiǎo māo). Understandably, the speaker’s little sister thinks that both animals are adorable. Because 一样 (yīyàng) is followed by an adjective, in this case adorable/cute (可爱 kě'ài), we know that the speaker is not claiming that her sister thinks these two animals are are the same. Instead, she’s saying that she finds them equally cute.

While 一样 (yīyàng) indicates sameness and equality when used on its own, its meaning becomes “not the same” or “not equal to” if paired with the negative prefix 不 (bù). Let’s look at an example:

Here, the addition of 不 (bù) before 一样 (yīyàng) changes the sentence’s meaning to negate the similarity of the nouns being compared. This grammar pattern indicates that things in Beijing are not like things here, and in fact they are quite different.

地 (de) is a structural particle that connects adverbial modifiers to verbs or adjectives in Chinese. Remember, a structural particle demonstrates a grammatical relationship between several words in a sentence.

In Chinese, 地 (de) is one of three common structural particles, 的 (de), 得 (de) and 地 (de), all of which are pronounced as “de” using the neutral fifth tone.

地 (de) is most commonly used to turn adjectives into adverbs, functioning similarly to the adverbial suffix “-ly” in English. When used in this way, it is placed after adjectives and before verbs to modify the verbs:

Adjective Phrase + 地 (de) + Verb Phrase

Let’s look at an example:

In this example, 地 (de) is used to link the adjective 聪明 (cōngming; clever) to the verb 解决 jiějué; to solve), therefore transforming the adjective into an adverb that modifies the verb. Because 地 (de) is used, we know that not only did the subject solve this problem, but that she did so in a clever way.

Let’s look at another example:

In this sentence, 地 (de) is placed after the adjective 认真 (rènzhēn; thorough) and before the verb phrase, 把车子打扫干净 (bǎ chēzi dǎsǎo gānjìng; clean my car so that it’s spotless), to convey that the car is cleaned thoroughly every night.

Keep in mind that when pronounced using the falling fourth tone, the character 地 (dì) is a noun meaning Earth. In this form, it frequently appears as a component of other nouns, such as 地方 (dìfāng) or 地图 (dìtú).

As you continue studying Chinese, you will notice this versatile particle appearing in a variety of other advanced usages. Mastering 地 (de) and the other common structural particles, 的 (de) and 得 (de), is an essential way to build a strong grammatical foundation in Chinese.

更 (gèng) is an adverb that expresses “even more” in Chinese. It comes before an adjective or verb to demonstrate that said adjective or verb is “even more so” than something previously stated or acknowledged. In its simplest usage, 更 (gèng) follows the pattern below:

Subject + 更 (gèng) + Verb or Adjective Phrase

The structure above often comes after another clause that provides background context in order to create a comparison. For example:

In this sentence, the first clause, “Xiao Ming works pretty hard” provides background information in order to create a contrast with the second clause, which says that Xiao Li works even harder. Because “更 (gèng)” is used, we know that although they are both hardworking, Xiao Li is, infact, more of a hard-worker than Xiao Ming.

It is also possible for 更 (gèng) to be used independently in a sentence that doesn’t include a comparative clause. For example:

The sentence above could be a response to a question asking if someone likes the weather here or there more, or part of a larger discussion about the weather where one previously lived.

更 (gèng) also frequently accompanies the common comparison word 比 (bǐ) to emphasize that one of two things is “even more” of the adjective that follows. Here’s an example:

In the sentence above, 比 (bǐ) is used to compare the two subjects, “him” and “his mom.” If 更 (gèng) were omitted and the sentence simply read, “他妈妈比他更热情” (Tā māma bǐ tā rèqíng), it would mean that his mom his more warm-hearted than he is, which could indicate that he isn’t warm-hearted at all. However, because 更 (gèng) is used, we know that while both the subject and his mom are warm-hearted, the subject’s mom is even more warm-hearted than he is.

Note that 更 (gèng) can also be followed by negative prefixes like 不 (bù) and 没 (méi) to indicate that something is “even less” of the following verb or adjective. For example: