More and more: 越来越 and 越…越…
越来越 says a quality keeps growing over time; 越 A 越 B links two scales — “the more A, the more B”. Neither takes 很.
Structure
主语 + 越来越 + 形容词／心理动词（+ 了） ｜ （主语）+ 越 + A，（主语）+ 越 + B
Explanation
Chinese words in this text can be activated to show a dictionary gloss.
measures one thing against its own earlier self: “It’s getting colder and colder.” The sentence usually ends in , because what is being reported is a change. It works with adjectives (, , ) and with verbs of feeling (, , ): “I like Chinese food more and more.”
…… is a different shape: two , each in front of its own word, saying that as one thing rises so does the other. “The rain is getting heavier”, “The more I think about it, the angrier I get.” The two halves may share a subject or have different ones: ， “The more you talk, the less happy he gets.” A very common fixed version is “the more the better”.
The rule that catches everyone is that is banned. already carries the degree, so and are both wrong — simply delete . For the same reason you cannot say ….
One last point of shape: is a fixed three-syllable block and cannot be shortened. does not mean “it’s getting colder”; a single needs a second to answer it.
Correct
Say each one out loud before moving on. The audio is a reference pronunciation, not a model to imitate exactly — match the tone contour, not the voice.
天气越来越冷了。天氣越來越冷了。
Tiānqì (first tone, high and level) yuè (fourth tone, falling) lái (second tone, rising) yuè (fourth tone, falling) lěng (third tone, dipping) le. (neutral tone)···
The weather is getting colder and colder.
我越来越喜欢中国菜了。我越來越喜歡中國菜了。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) yuè (fourth tone, falling) lái (second tone, rising) yuè (fourth tone, falling) xǐhuan (third tone, dipping) Zhōngguó (first tone, high and level) cài (fourth tone, falling) le. (neutral tone)···
I like Chinese food more and more.
我越想越生气。我越想越生氣。
Wǒ (third tone, dipping) yuè (fourth tone, falling) xiǎng (third tone, dipping) yuè (fourth tone, falling) shēngqì. (first tone, high and level)···
The more I think about it, the angrier I get.
Incorrect — Common mistakes
These sentences are wrong. They are printed here on purpose, each one paired with the repair and the reason, because the error you can recognise is the error you stop making.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 天气越来越很冷了。
Correct
Correct sentence: 天气越来越冷了。
Why: 越 already supplies the degree, so 很 has nothing left to do and is simply deleted.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 我越想越很生气。
Correct
Correct sentence: 我越想越生气。
Why: The same ban applies inside 越…越…: nothing stands between the second 越 and the word it measures.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 天气越冷了。
Correct
Correct sentence: 天气越来越冷了。
Why: A single 越 cannot mean “more and more”. Either write the full block 越来越, or answer the first 越 with a second one.
Compared with
Most errors with this pattern are not errors about this pattern — they are a neighbouring pattern arriving at the wrong moment. Read these side by side.
比 and 越来越 both talk about difference, but they compare different things. 比 sets two items side by side at one moment: 今天比昨天冷 “Today is colder than yesterday.” 越来越 compares one item with its own earlier state and needs no second item at all: 天气越来越冷了 “It’s getting colder.” If you can name the thing being beaten, use 比; if the only comparison is with how things used to be, use 越来越. Note also that the small-difference words of 比 sentences — 一点儿, 得多 — go *after* the adjective, whereas 越来越 goes in front of it.
Comparing with 比 →Mini quiz
Question 1 / 3Total score: 0
Choose the correct sentence.