Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

makiNG ComPariSoNS

33.4

33.4.3 indicating performance that is less than another’s in some way

To indicate that one noun phrase does not perform some action as AV as another noun phrase,

say:

NP 1 没有/沒有 NP 2 [action verb 得] AV

NP 1 méi yǒu NP 2 [action verb de] AV

NP 1 does not perform the action verb as AV as NP 2

我没有他吃得多。

我沒有他吃的多。

Wǒ méi yǒu tā chī de duō.

I don’t eat as much as him.

妹妹没有弟弟写得快。

妹妹沒有弟弟寫得快。

Mèimei méi yǒu dìdi xiě de kuài.

Younger sister doesn’t write as fast as younger brother.

那么/那麼 nàme and 这么/這麼 zhème optionally occur before the AV.

我没有他吃得那么多。

我沒有他吃得那麼多。

Wǒ méi yǒu tā chī de nàme duō.

I don’t eat as much as him.

妹妹没有弟弟写得这么快。

妹妹沒有弟弟寫得這麼快。

Mèimei méi yǒu dìdi xiě de zhème kuài.

Younger sister doesn’t write as fast as younger brother.

If the object of the action verb is included in the sentence, the action verb is said twice, once

followed by the object, and once followed by 得 + AV.

NP 1 没有/沒有 NP 2 [action verb + object] [action verb 得] (那么/那麼) AV

NP 1 méi yǒu NP 2 [action verb + object] [action verb de] (nàme) AV

NP 1 does not perform the action verb as AV as NP 2

我没有他吃饭吃得多。

我沒有他吃飯吃得多。

Wǒ méi yǒu tā chī fàn chī de duō.

I don’t eat as much food as he does.

妹妹没有弟弟写字写得(那么)快。

妹妹沒有弟弟寫字寫得(那麼)快。

Mèimei méi yǒu dìdi xiě zì xiě de (nàme) kuài.

Younger sister doesn’t write characters as fast as younger brother.

Here are several variations in this pattern. They differ in the order of the phrases. In all of them,

[action verb + object] occurs before [action verb 得 de], and AV occurs at the end of the sentence.

Variation 1

NP 1 [action verb + object] [action verb 得] 没有/沒有 NP 2 (那么/那麼) AV

NP 1 [action verb + object] [action verb de] méi yǒu NP 2 (nàme) AV

NP 1 does not perform the action verb as AV as NP 2

我吃饭吃得没有他多。

我吃飯吃得沒有他多。

Wǒ chī fàn chī de méi yǒu tā duō.

I don’t eat as much food as he does.