Meaning of 比如说
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- for example
How to use 比如说
比如说 is very common in speech and comes right before the example you want to give. It can start a sentence or follow a comma. Example: 我喜欢水果，比如说苹果和香蕉。(Wǒ xǐhuan shuǐguǒ, bǐrú shuō píngguǒ hé xiāngjiāo.) I like fruit, for example apples and bananas.
比 (bǐ) means to compare, 如 (rú) means like or as, and 说 (shuō) means to say. Put together, you are saying "to compare, it is like...", which is how you introduce an example.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 比 (bǐ) as 北 (běi, north), which looks similar but has a different tone and meaning. Some also confuse 比如 (bǐrú, for example) with 不如 (bùrú, not as good as) because both end in 如.
比如说 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
比 bǐ · to compare · 4 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
如 rú · as · 6 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
说 shuō · to speak · 9 strokes
- 1
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- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 比如说.
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say |
| 如果 | rúguǒ | if; in case; in the event that |
| 听说 | tīngshuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that) |
| 不如 | bùrú | not equal to; not as good as; inferior to; it would be better to |
| 比如 | bǐrú | for example; for instance; such as |
| 说明 | shuōmíng | to explain; to illustrate |
| 小说 | xiǎoshuō | novel; fiction |
| 例如 | lìrú | for example; for instance; such as |
| 如何 | rúhé | how; what way |
| 比赛 | bǐsài | competition (sports etc); match |
| 比较 | bǐjiào | to compare; to contrast |
| 传说 | chuánshuō | legend; folk tale; to repeat from mouth to mouth; they say that... |
Questions about 比如说
What does 比如说 mean?
比如说 (bǐrú shuō) means "for example".
How do you write 比如说?
比如说 is made of 3 characters: 比 (4 strokes), 如 (6 strokes), 说 (9 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 比如说 an HSK word?
Yes. 比如说 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 比如说 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 比如说 is written 比如說.
What is the difference between 比如说 and 比如?
They mean the same thing. 比如说 feels a little more spoken and relaxed, while 比如 is shorter and works well in both speech and writing.
Can 比如说 be used to mean "let's say" or "suppose"?
Yes. In conversation it often introduces a hypothetical case, as in 比如说你明天没空呢？(Bǐrú shuō nǐ míngtiān méi kòng ne?) Let's say you are not free tomorrow, then what?