HSK 3Lesson 16
The first cold snap hits overnight, and Annie only has summer clothes. You will hear Xiaoxue warn her in the corridor, then follow Annie and Yixue through a clothes market, a shoe stall and a sudden rain shower.
You will learn to talk about clothes and shoes, say that one thing is bigger, colder or cheaper than another, and say that two things are not so different.
Part 1 · 14 new words
Contains 5 words
shirt; blouse
skirt
top; jacket
overcoat; long coat
shorts
Contains 4 words
shoe
raincoat
Contains 5 words
suitable; fitting; just right
old (of things, not people); worn
Part 2 · 9 phrases
妈妈给我买了一双新鞋，我穿着去上学了。
Mom bought me a new pair of shoes, and I wore them to school.
这件上衣你穿着很合适，买这件吧。
This top really suits you. Get this one.
这个星期挺忙的，星期六才有时间买衣服。
I'm pretty busy this week, and I only have time to buy clothes on Saturday.
她喜欢黄色，书包和雨衣都是黄色的。
She likes yellow, so her bag and raincoat are both yellow.
下小雨带伞，下大雨就要穿雨衣。
For light rain, bring an umbrella; for heavy rain, wear a raincoat.
这件大衣旧是旧了，可是还能穿，不用买新的。
This coat is old, but I can still wear it, so I don't need a new one.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
Saturday morning in the dorm corridor. Xiaoxue, Annie's neighbor, sees Annie about to leave in shorts on the coldest day so far.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
安妮，你穿短裤出去？今天比昨天还冷呢！
Annie, you're going out in shorts? Today is even colder than yesterday!
安妮Annie
真的吗？我有衬衫，也有裙子，不行吗？
Really? I have a shirt and a skirt too. Won't that do?
Part 4 · 3 points
A比B+更/还+形容词
A 比bǐ B + 更gèng/还hái + adjective says that A is more than B, and 更gèng or 还hái adds "even".
Say "even more"
更gèng or 还hái before the adjective makes the comparison "even".
umbrella
pair (measure word for shoes, chopsticks)
yellow
blue
quite; pretty (adverb)
天热的时候，我穿短裤和衬衫，姐姐穿裙子。
When it's hot, I wear shorts and a shirt, and my sister wears a skirt.
天冷了，在上衣外面再穿一件大衣吧。
It's getting cold, so put an overcoat on over your top.
我喜欢蓝的，她喜欢黄色的，我们的伞不一样。
I like the blue one, she likes the yellow one, so our umbrellas are different.
裙子比短裤更冷！你有大衣吗？
A skirt is even colder than shorts! Do you have an overcoat?
安妮Annie
大衣？没有啊。
An overcoat? Nope.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
那你今天要去买一件。外面挺冷的！
Then you need to go buy one today. It's pretty cold out!
安妮Annie
可是一雪九点才到，怎么办？
But Yixue won't be here until nine. What do I do?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我有一件旧上衣，你穿着等她吧。
I have an old jacket. Wear it while you wait for her.
At a stall in the Xidan clothes market, Annie falls for a loud yellow coat. Yixue has a different idea, and the stall owner has the price.
安妮Annie
一雪，你看这件黄色的大衣，多漂亮啊！
Yixue, look at this yellow coat. Isn't it pretty!
王一雪Wang Yixue
黄色的？你看这件蓝的，不是更好看吗？
The yellow one? Look at this blue one. Isn't it nicer?
安妮Annie
蓝的没有黄色的好看！老板，多少钱？
The blue one isn't as nice as the yellow one! Boss, how much?
老板Stall owner
两件一样，都是三百八，蓝的不比黄色的便宜。
The two are the same, three hundred eighty each. The blue one isn't cheaper than the yellow one.
安妮Annie
那我试黄色的……啊，太大了！
Then I'll try the yellow one... oh, it's too big!
王一雪Wang Yixue
黄色的比蓝的大多了。试试蓝的吧！
The yellow one is much bigger than the blue one. Try the blue one!
安妮Annie
蓝的合适！就是和别人的一样。老板，要这件！
The blue one fits! It's just the same as other people's. Boss, I'll take this one!
At the shoe stall next to the coats, Annie notices how worn her shoes are, and then gets her sums wrong.
安妮Annie
一雪，你看我的鞋，旧了，走路脚疼。
Yixue, look at my shoes. They're worn out, and my feet hurt when I walk.
王一雪Wang Yixue
是该买新的了。你喜欢哪双？
You do need new ones. Which pair do you like?
安妮Annie
黑色的和红色的，我都喜欢！
I like both the black pair and the red pair!
王一雪Wang Yixue
那就买两双吧。我也要一双，我的鞋也旧了。
Then buy two pairs. I want one pair too. Mine are worn out as well.
安妮Annie
我买了两双，你买了一双，我比你少买了一双吧？
I bought two pairs and you bought one, so I bought one pair fewer than you, right?
王一雪Wang Yixue
不对，是多买了一双！两双比一双，多一双。
No, one pair more! Two pairs compared with one is one more.
安妮Annie
我又说错了。
I got it wrong again.
Outside the market it starts to rain. Yixue is annoyed with Annie, and Jiayue finally turns up.
王一雪Wang Yixue
下雨了！我早就说过，要带雨衣。
It's raining! I told you to bring a raincoat.
安妮Annie
忘在房间里了！
I left it in my room!
王一雪Wang Yixue
你啊！白家月呢？她说十一点到。
Honestly! Where's Jiayue? She said she'd be here at eleven.
白家月Bai Jiayue
来了来了，对不起！就带了一把伞。
I'm here, I'm here, sorry! I only brought one umbrella.
王一雪Wang Yixue
你每次都迟到，这次不生气，因为有伞。
You're late every time, but I'm not mad this time, because we have an umbrella.
安妮Annie
三个人一把伞，也行！我穿着新买的蓝大衣，像北京人吧？
Three people, one umbrella, that works! In my new blue coat, I look like a Beijinger, right?
白家月Bai Jiayue
像！快走吧，我饿了。
You do! Let's go, I'm hungry.
Xiaoxue says 裙子比短裤更冷qúnzi bǐ duǎnkù gèng lěng when Annie holds up a skirt in the corridor.
In sentences
With 还
今天比昨天还冷。
Today is even colder than yesterday.
还hái sounds a little more surprised.
Short answer
我的鞋比你的更旧。
My shoes are even older than yours.
The second noun can be just 你的nǐ de.
姐姐比我高，哥哥比姐姐更高。
My older sister is taller than I am, and my brother is even taller than she is.
A：这件大衣贵吗？ B：这件比那件更贵，要五百块。
A: Is this coat expensive? B: This one is even more expensive than that one. It's five hundred yuan.
北京的天气比西安还冷。
The weather in Beijing is even colder than in Xi'an.
今天的雨比昨天更大，我们别出去了。
The rain is heavier than yesterday's, so let's not go out.
白家月比我们更爱吃，一天吃五次饭。
Bai Jiayue loves food even more than the rest of us. She eats five times a day.
A 比bǐ B + adjective (比bǐ) compares two things: 姐姐比我高jiějie bǐ wǒ gāo. To say "even more", put 更gèng or 还hái before the adjective: 今天比昨天更冷jīntiān bǐ zuótiān gèng lěng, 今天比昨天还冷jīntiān bǐ zuótiān hái lěng. 更gèng and 还hái both mean "even"; 还hái is a little more spoken and often suggests surprise. The key constraint is that 很hěn, 非常fēicháng and 太tài cannot go after 比bǐ: say 比昨天更冷bǐ zuótiān gèng lěng, not 比昨天很冷bǐ zuótiān hěn lěng. A common mistake is to add 很hěn: ✗ 今天比昨天很冷jīntiān bǐ zuótiān hěn lěng, ✓ 今天比昨天更冷jīntiān bǐ zuótiān gèng lěng.
A不比B+形容词
A 不比bù bǐ B + adjective says that A is not more adjective than B; they may be the same.
Push back with 不比
不比bù bǐ says A is not more than B; it may be the same.
The stall owner says 蓝的不比黄色的便宜lán de bù bǐ huángsè de piányi: the blue coat costs just as much, so price is no reason to choose it.
In sentences
Contrast with 没有
蓝的没有黄色的好看。
The blue one isn't as nice as the yellow one.
没有méiyǒu says A is clearly less than B.
A：这件大衣比那件贵吗？ B：不，这件不比那件贵。
A: Is this coat more expensive than that one? B: No, this one isn't more expensive than that one.
你说他很高，可是他不比我高。
You say he's tall, but he isn't taller than I am.
这家店的衣服不比那家便宜，别走远了。
The clothes in this shop aren't cheaper than in that one, so don't go any farther.
王一雪的大衣不比安妮的新。
Yixue's coat isn't newer than Annie's.
这双鞋不比那双贵，你可以买这双。
This pair of shoes isn't more expensive than that pair, so you can buy this one.
A 不比bù bǐ B + adjective (不比bù bǐ) denies that A is more than B: 蓝的不比黄色的便宜lán de bù bǐ huángsè de piányi means the blue one is not cheaper than the yellow one. It does not say that A is less; A may be equal to B, and the speaker often uses it to push back on an idea, as the stall owner does. The key constraint is that 不比bù bǐ takes a bare adjective, with no 很hěn: ✗ 我不比你很高wǒ bù bǐ nǐ hěn gāo, ✓ 我不比你高wǒ bù bǐ nǐ gāo. Compare 没有méiyǒu: 蓝的没有黄色的好看lán de méiyǒu huángsè de hǎokàn says the blue one is clearly less nice, while 不比bù bǐ only says it is not nicer.
A比B+多/少/早/晚+动词+数量短语
A 比bǐ B + 多duō/少shǎo/早zǎo/晚wǎn + verb + amount says how much more, less, earlier or later A did something.
Say how much more
多duō before the verb, the amount after it.
Annie says 我比你多买了两双wǒ bǐ nǐ duō mǎi le liǎng shuāng and Yixue fixes the amount to 一双yì shuāng.
In sentences
With 早/晚
他比我晚到了半个小时。
He arrived half an hour later than I did.
Time words take a time amount.
我比姐姐多吃了两个包子。
I ate two more buns than my sister.
A：你昨天睡得早吗？ B：不早，我比你晚睡了一个小时。
A: Did you go to bed early yesterday? B: No, I went to bed an hour later than you.
今天他比我早到了十分钟。
Today he arrived ten minutes before me.
安妮比王一雪多买了一双鞋。
Annie bought one more pair of shoes than Yixue.
我今天比昨天少喝了一杯咖啡。
I drank one less cup of coffee today than yesterday.
To say how much more, less, earlier or later one person did something, put 多duō, 少shǎo, 早zǎo or 晚wǎn before the verb, and the amount after it: 我比你多买了一双wǒ bǐ nǐ duō mǎi le yì shuāng. The pattern is A 比bǐ B + 多duō/少shǎo/早zǎo/晚wǎn + verb + amount. 早zǎo and 晚wǎn are for time, with a time amount: 他比我早到了十分钟tā bǐ wǒ zǎo dào le shí fēnzhōng
No, one pair more! Two pairs compared with one is one more.
Why it matters · Yixue repeats it with the right amount: 多买了一双duō mǎi le yì shuāng.
