IntermediateComparisons

有 in Chinese Comparisons: As…As and Reaching a Standard

Use 有 + reference + adjective to ask whether something reaches another’s degree, and recognize expanded patterns with 那么 or 这么.

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有那么yǒu…nàme

Example

他有我帅吗?

Tā yǒu wǒ shuài ma?

Is he as handsome as me?

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How to use 有…那么

Sentence pattern

A + 有 + B + (这么 / 那么 +) Adjective + 吗?

In a degree comparison, 有 asks whether one thing reaches the level associated with another. The reference comes after 有, followed by the quality being compared. This pattern is common in questions about height, busyness, ability, or other measurable qualities. It differs from 比, which directly states or asks about a difference between two sides.

这么 or 那么 can make the referenced degree explicit. A verb phrase with a 得 complement can also be compared when the issue is how well someone performs an action. Negative 没有 states that the reference degree is not reached. Although questions are especially common, do not treat the construction as categorically unavailable in affirmative statements with an explicit degree expression.

Examples with pinyin and English

他有我帅吗?

Tā yǒu wǒ shuài ma?

Is he as handsome as me?

你有老板忙吗?

Nǐ yǒu lǎobǎn máng ma?

Are you as busy as the boss?

他有姚明高吗?

Tā yǒu Yáo Míng gāo ma?

Is he as tall as YaoMing?

纽约人口有上海人口多吗?

Niǔyuē rénkǒu yǒu Shànghǎi rénkǒu duō ma?

Is the population of New York city as big as that of Shanghai?

他有姚明那么高吗?

Tā yǒu Yáo Míng nàme gāo ma?

Is he really as tall as YaoMing?

What to remember

  • 有 introduces the reference standard.
  • 没有 says that standard is not reached.
  • 那么 or 这么 can specify the degree.

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Look up the grammar words

有 · 那么

Source and editorial notes

Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.

Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.