HSK · Level 12
135 words
Chinese word
比起
Pronunciation
Pinyinbǐ qǐ
Meaning
- prepositioncompared to
Example
比起别人，她工作更认真。bí qǐ bié rén tā gōng zuò gèng rèn zhēn
Compared to others, she works more diligently.
More examples
比起其他国家，这个城市的生活成本更高。bí qǐ qí tā guó jiā zhè ge chéng shì de shēng huó chéng běn gèng gāo
Compared to other countries, the cost of living in this city is higher.
Core concept
A person, thing, or choice is set beside a reference point, making a difference in degree or preference visible.
Common phrases
比起其他国家bí qǐ qí tā guó jiā
compared to other countries
比起上个月bí qǐ shàng gè yuè
compared to last month
比起现在bí qǐ xiàn zài
compared to now
Similar words
比bǐ: Introduces a person or thing as the standard for a direct comparison of degree.
跟gēn: Shows a person or thing together with another, especially in everyday speech.
和hé: Places people or things together in a parallel list or relationship.
与yǔ: Shows a relationship between people or things in formal written language.
Definition in Chinese
作介词时把后面的名词或代词作为比较对象，用来说明与该对象相比的情况。zuò jiè cí shí bǎ hòu miàn de míng cí huò dài cí zuò wéi bǐ jiào duì xiàng yòng lái shuō míng yǔ gāi duì xiàng xiāng bǐ de qíng kuàng
Word origin
In 比起 (bǐqǐ, "compared to"), 比 (bǐ, "compare") sets up a comparison and 起 (qǐ, "start from") presents the following person or thing as its reference point.
Usage tips
- English often places a comparison phrase after the main statement, but this Chinese marker commonly puts the reference noun first, which helps identify the comparison frame in conversation.