有/没有 and 一样 Comparisons

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to express similarity and "not as...as" comparisons without using 比.

有 for Reaching a Standard

A 有 B (这么/那么) + adjective — A reaches the standard of B

• 他有你那么高吗？— Is he as tall as you?
• 这里的冬天有北京那么冷吗？— Is the winter here as cold as Beijing?
• 她有她妈妈那么漂亮。— She's as beautiful as her mother.

The words 这么 (this much) and 那么 (that much) are optional but natural in speech.

没有 for Not Reaching a Standard

A 没有 B (这么/那么) + adjective — A does not reach the standard of B

• 他没有你高。— He isn't as tall as you.
• 这道菜没有那道菜好吃。— This dish isn't as tasty as that dish.
• 上海没有香港那么贵。— Shanghai isn't as expensive as Hong Kong.

This is the standard way to say "not as...as" in Mandarin. It's used far more than 比 for downward comparisons.

一样 for Equality

A 跟/和 B 一样 (+ adjective) — A and B are the same / equally...

Chinese	Translation
我跟你一样高。	I'm as tall as you. / We're the same height.
这两本书一样贵。	These two books are equally expensive.
他和我一样喜欢音乐。	He likes music just as much as I do.
我们的想法一样。	Our ideas are the same.

A 跟 B 不一样 = A and B are different:

• 这个跟那个不一样。— This one is different from that one.

Comparing Actions: 一样 with Verbs

一样 can modify verbs too:

• 他跑得跟我一样快。— He runs as fast as me.
• 她唱得跟专业歌手一样好。— She sings as well as a professional singer.

Side-by-Side Summary

Structure	Meaning	Example
A 比 B + adj	A more than B	他比我高
A 没有 B + adj	A not as... as B	他没有我高
A 有 B 那么 + adj	A as... as B (reaching standard)	他有我那么高
A 跟 B 一样 + adj	A as... as B (equal)	他跟我一样高

Common Confusion: 有 vs. 一样

Both express equality but with a slight difference:

• 有 emphasizes reaching a standard: "Does A measure up to B?"