Chinese Word
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verb HSK 4
xiāng bǐ
to compare · in comparison with · compared to

Meaning

相比 means to compare or to draw a comparison between two or more things. It typically appears in constructions like '与...相比' (compared with...) or 'A和B相比' (comparing A and B). The word emphasizes the act of putting things side by side to examine their differences or similarities.

Usage

Native speakers commonly use 相比 in both written and spoken Chinese, though it's more frequent in formal or analytical contexts. It often appears with 与 (yǔ) or 和 (hé) to introduce what is being compared. 相比之下 (xiāng bǐ zhī xià) meaning 'by comparison' or 'in contrast' is a very common extension.

Examples

  1. 01
    与去年相比，今年的销售额增长了百分之二十。
    Yǔ qù nián xiāng bǐ, jīn nián de xiāo shòu é zēng zhǎng le bǎi fēn zhī èr shí.
    Compared with last year, this year's sales have increased by twenty percent.
  2. 02
    这个方案和那个方案相比，更加实用。
    Zhè ge fāng àn hé nà ge fāng àn xiāng bǐ, gèng jiā shí yòng.
    Compared with that plan, this plan is more practical.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 相比之下
    xiāng bǐ zhī xià
    by comparison; in contrast
  • 与...相比
    yǔ ... xiāng bǐ
    compared with...
  • 和...相比
    hé ... xiāng bǐ
    compared with...
  • 相比较
    xiāng bǐ jiào
    to compare mutually

Origin

相 originally means 'mutual' or 'each other', while 比 means 'to compare'. Together they form a compound meaning 'mutually compare' or 'compare with each other'.

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