Meaning of 相比
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to compare
How to use 相比
相比 is often used in the pattern 和/跟 A 相比 or 与 A 相比, meaning compared with A, and it usually comes at the start of a sentence. Example: 和去年相比，今年更热。(Hé qùnián xiāngbǐ, jīnnián gèng rè.) Compared with last year, this year is hotter.
相 (xiāng) means each other, and 比 (bǐ) looks like two people standing side by side. Put them together and you get two things placed next to each other so you can compare them.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say 我相比他高 when they mean I am taller than him. For a simple comparison use 比: 我比他高 (wǒ bǐ tā gāo). Save 相比 for the 和 A 相比 pattern. Also note that 相 here is first tone xiāng, not the fourth tone xiàng found in 相机 (xiàngjī).
相比 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.
相 xiāng · mutual · 9 strokes
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- 2
- 3
- 4
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- 9
比 bǐ · to compare · 4 strokes
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- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 相比.
| 相信 | xiāngxìn | to believe; to be convinced; to accept as true |
| 比如 | bǐrú | for example; for instance; such as |
| 相同 | xiāngtóng | identical; same |
| 比如说 | bǐrú shuō | for example |
| 相机 | xiàngjī | camera (abbr. for 照相機|照相机[zhao4 xiang4 ji1]); at the opportune moment |
| 照相 | zhàoxiàng | to take a photograph |
| 比赛 | bǐsài | competition (sports etc); match |
| 比较 | bǐjiào | to compare; to contrast |
| 相当 | xiāngdāng | equivalent to; appropriate |
| 互相 | hùxiāng | each other; mutually |
| 相关 | xiāngguān | related; relevant |
| 相互 | xiānghù | each other; mutual |
Questions about 相比
What does 相比 mean?
相比 (xiāngbǐ) means "to compare" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 相比?
相比 is made of 2 characters: 相 (9 strokes), 比 (4 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 相比 an HSK word?
Yes. 相比 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 相比 and 比较?
比较 (bǐjiào) can be a verb meaning to compare, and it is also an adverb meaning fairly or relatively, as in 比较好. 相比 is only used for comparing and usually appears in the frame 和 A 相比.
Can 相比 be followed directly by an object?
Not usually. The thing being compared comes before it with 和, 跟 or 与, as in 与他相比 (yǔ tā xiāngbǐ). In formal writing you may also see 相比之下 (xiāngbǐ zhī xià), meaning by comparison.