更 (gèng) — more, even more (degree adverb used in comparisons)
Definition
更 (gèng) is the standard comparative 'more / even more' used in 比-constructions (e.g. 更好). Stronger than 更加 but more everyday; 还 marks continuation, not comparison.
adverb
moreeven more (degree adverb used in comparisons)
Examples
- 更。Nǐ de hàn yǔ bǐ wǒ gèng hǎo.Your Chinese is even better than mine.
- 更。Qǐng nǐ shuō dé gèng màn yì diǎn.Please speak a little more slowly.
- 更。Tā gèng xǐ huan hē kā fēi.He likes drinking coffee even more.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pūhand holding a whip; action
Sound part声符shēngfú
𰀒
𰀒𰀒更gēng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The old form showed two chariots, 𰀒; 攴, a hand holding a whip, was added to show action, and one chariot part was dropped. The remaining part changed into the shape seen in 更.
Grammar
Appears in
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