Comparison Sentences: 跟…相比
跟…相比 (compared with…) opens a sentence by naming the baseline, and the comparison result follows the comma. 跟去年相比，今年的销量增加了很多 sets this year against last year, and 相比之下 continues the contrast without naming the baseline again.
Position: 跟 + [baseline noun phrase] + 相比，+ [comparison result, often with 更/比较/明显].
相比之下 = 'by comparison' — used to introduce a new clause without repeating 跟…, once a baseline is already established:
跟弟弟相比，他更爱运动；相比之下，弟弟更喜欢安静地看书。
Common mistake: confusing 相比 with 一样/相同 (which mean 'the same as', from 跟…一样) — 相比 introduces a comparison of degree/change, not sameness.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 跟去年相比，今年的销量增加了很多。 | Gēn qù nián xiāng bǐ, jīn nián de xiāo liàng zēng jiā le hěn duō. | Compared to last year, this year's sales have increased a lot. | Basic 跟…相比 frame: baseline (去年) + result (销量增加了很多). |
| 跟以前相比，他变化很大，现在更加自信了。 | Gēn yǐ qián xiāng bǐ, tā biàn huà hěn dà, xiàn zài gèng jiā zì xìn le. | Compared to before, he has changed a lot — he's more confident now. | Adds a two-part result: general change (变化很大) plus a specific detail (更加自信了). |
| 跟弟弟相比，他更喜欢运动。 | Gēn dì di xiāng bǐ, tā gèng xǐ huan yùn dòng. | Compared to his younger brother, he likes sports more. | Comparing two people instead of two time periods. |
| 跟弟弟相比，他更爱运动；相比之下，弟弟更喜欢安静地看书。 | Gēn dì di xiāng bǐ, tā gèng ài yùn dòng; xiāng bǐ zhī xià, dì di gèng xǐ huan ān jìng de kàn shū. | Compared to his brother, he loves sports more; by comparison, his brother prefers quietly reading. | Combines 跟…相比 with 相比之下 to introduce a second, contrasting clause. |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
跟…相比 (gēn…xiāng bǐ)
Sets up the thing you compare against at the start of the sentence.
Structure: 跟 + baseline + 相比，+ result
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 跟北方相比，南方的冬天暖和多了。 | Gēn běi fāng xiāng bǐ, nán fāng de dōng tiān nuǎn huo duō le. | Compared with the north, winter in the south is much warmer. |
| 跟三年前相比，我的汉语进步了不少。 | Gēn sān nián qián xiāng bǐ, wǒ de hàn yǔ jìn bù le bù shǎo. | Compared with three years ago, my Chinese has improved a lot. |
| 跟自己做饭相比，在外面吃饭要贵得多。 | Gēn zì jǐ zuò fàn xiāng bǐ, zài wài miàn chī fàn yào guì de duō. | Compared with cooking at home, eating out costs much more. |
Not: 跟他相比一样高。 相比 compares a difference in degree, so it cannot say two things are equal. For sameness use 跟他一样高。
相比之下 (xiāng bǐ zhī xià)
Starts a second clause that contrasts with a baseline already mentioned.
Structure: Clause A，相比之下，clause B
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这家店的东西很贵，相比之下，对面那家便宜多了。 | Zhè jiā diàn de dōng xī hěn guì, xiāng bǐ zhī xià, duì miàn nà jiā pián yi duō le. | The things in this shop are expensive. By comparison, the one across the street is much cheaper. |
| 哥哥学习很努力，相比之下，弟弟就懒多了。 | Gē gē xué xí hěn nǔ lì, xiāng bǐ zhī xià, dì dì jiù lǎn duō le. | The older brother studies hard. By comparison, the younger one is much lazier. |
| 夏天城里很热，相比之下，山里凉快得多。 | Xià tiān chéng lǐ hěn rè, xiāng bǐ zhī xià, shān lǐ liáng kuài de duō. | It is hot in the city in summer. By comparison, the mountains are much cooler. |
Not: 相比之下他，我更矮。 相比之下 takes no object. Name the baseline in the earlier clause or use 跟他相比。
Compared side by side: 跟…相比 vs 跟…一样.
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
Questions about Comparison Sentences
What does 比较句 (Comparison Sentences) mean in Chinese?
跟…相比 (compared with…) opens a sentence by naming the baseline, and the comparison result follows the comma. 跟去年相比，今年的销量增加了很多 sets this year against last year, and 相比之下 continues the contrast without naming the baseline again. It is an HSK 5 grammar point.
How do you use 比较句 (Comparison Sentences) in a sentence?
跟去年相比，今年的销量增加了很多。 — Gēn qù nián xiāng bǐ, jīn nián de xiāo liàng zēng jiā le hěn duō. — Compared to last year, this year's sales have increased a lot. Basic 跟…相比 frame: baseline (去年) + result (销量增加了很多).
What do you need to know before 比较句 (Comparison Sentences)?
跟/和…一样/不一样 (HSK 4). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
How do I say "compared with" in Chinese?
Use 跟…相比 at the start of the sentence: 跟去年相比，今年的雨水多了很多。 You can also say 和…相比 or 与…相比 in writing.
What is the difference between 跟…相比 and 跟…一样?
跟…相比 compares how two things differ in degree or change. 跟…一样 says they are the same. Say 他跟我一样高 for equal height, and 跟我相比，他高多了 for a difference.
Comparison Sentences is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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