比...多了 (much more in comparisons)

• Pinyin: duō le
• Formation: Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + Adj. + 多了 / 得多 / 很多
• Hanzi breakdown: 多 = 夕 (evening) + 夕 (evening)

Meaning

Use 多了, 得多, or 很多 after the adjective in a 比 comparison to express that the difference is significant — meaning 'much more' or 'a lot more.' These intensifiers emphasize that the gap between the two things is large.

When a basic 比 comparison does not convey enough emphasis, Chinese speakers add 多了, 得多, or 很多 after the adjective to signal a large degree of difference. All three are largely interchangeable in meaning, though 多了 is the most colloquial and common in everyday speech, 得多 is slightly more neutral, and 很多 is the most straightforward. The structure is A + 比 + B + Adj. + 多了/得多/很多. This is distinct from adding a specific measurement (like 高五厘米), which gives an exact difference rather than an emphatic one. Note that 很 cannot appear before the adjective in a 比 sentence, but 很多 can appear after it as a degree complement — these are different grammatical roles.

Examples

1. 今天比昨天热多了。 Today is much hotter than yesterday.
2. 他跑得比我快得多。 He runs much faster than me.
3. 这本书比那本有意思很多。 This book is much more interesting than that one.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 她的成绩比上学期好多了。
• 新手机比旧的快得多。
• 这家店的菜比那家便宜很多。

Don't Say

• 他比我很高多了。(很 cannot appear before the adjective in a 比 sentence — place the intensifier after the adjective only) → 他比我高多了。
• 今天比昨天热很得多。(Do not combine multiple intensifiers — use only one of 多了, 得多, or 很多) → 今天比昨天热得多。

Origin & History

The word 多 means 'many' or 'much' and has been used since ancient Chinese to indicate quantity. Its grammatical extension as a degree complement after adjectives in comparisons reflects the natural use of 'much' to intensify differences, similar to the English 'much more.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal