越…越…: How to Say “The More…, the More…” in Chinese
What Does 越…越… Mean?
越yuèthe more… / increasingly…
When two instances of 越 are used together, they form the structure:
越…越…yuè…yuè…the more…, the more… / the…, the…
你学得越多，懂得越多。nǐ xué de yuè duō, dǒng de yuè duō.The more you learn, the more you understand.
天气越冷，我越不想出门。tiānqì yuè lěng, wǒ yuè bù xiǎng chūmén.The colder the weather gets, the less I want to go outside.
你越练习，中文说得越好。nǐ yuè liànxí, Zhōngwén shuō de yuè hǎo.The more you practice, the better you speak Chinese.
Notice that in Russian, we use two different words — «чем» and «тем» — while in Chinese, we use 越 both times.
The Basic 越…越… Structure
The simplest structure is:
越 + adjective, 越 + adjective
It is used when one quality changes along with another.
天气越冷，衣服越厚。tiānqì yuè lěng, yīfu yuè hòu.The colder the weather gets, the thicker the clothes.
房子越大，价格越高。fángzi yuè dà, jiàgé yuè gāo.The bigger the house, the higher the price.
工作越多，我越忙。gōngzuò yuè duō, wǒ yuè máng.The more work I have, the busier I am.
问题越难，我越感兴趣。wèntí yuè nán, wǒ yuè gǎn xìngqù.The more difficult the question, the more interested I become.
The important thing is to see the connection between the two parts of the sentence.
In the first part, we describe a condition or change, and in the second part, we show what happens as a result.
越来越 yuè lái yuè — More and More
Before moving on to more complex sentences, it is important to learn another very common structure — 越来越 yuè lái yuè.
It means “more and more,” “increasingly,” or “becoming more,” and it describes a gradual change.
Subject + 越来越 + adjective
天气越来越冷。tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng.The weather is getting colder and colder.
中文越来越有意思。Zhōngwén yuè lái yuè yǒu yìsi.Chinese is becoming more and more interesting.
我越来越忙。wǒ yuè lái yuè máng.I am getting busier and busier.
她越来越漂亮。tā yuè lái yuè piàoliang.She is becoming more and more beautiful.
这个城市越来越大。zhè ge chéngshì yuè lái yuè dà.This city is getting bigger and bigger.
Here, we are not comparing two different changes. Instead, we are saying that one quality is gradually becoming stronger or more noticeable.
The Difference Between 越…越… and 越来越
These two structures are similar, but they have different meanings.
越来越 shows that one quality gradually changes.
天气越来越热。tiānqì yuè lái yuè rè.The weather is getting hotter and hotter.
越…越… shows that one change depends on another.
天气越热，我越想喝冰水。tiānqì yuè rè, wǒ yuè xiǎng hē bīng shuǐ.The hotter the weather gets, the more I want to drink ice-cold water.
我越来越喜欢中文。wǒ yuè lái yuè xǐhuan Zhōngwén.I like Chinese more and more.
我学中文学得越多，就越喜欢它。wǒ xué Zhōngwén xué de yuè duō, jiù yuè xǐhuan tā.The more I study Chinese, the more I like it.
The difference is simple: 越来越 describes a gradual change, while 越…越… shows the relationship between two changes.
越…越… with Verbs
This structure is used not only with adjectives but also with actions.
Subject + 越 + verb, 越 + result
你越练习，进步越快。nǐ yuè liànxí, jìnbù yuè kuài.The more you practice, the faster you improve.
你越看，越喜欢。nǐ yuè kàn, yuè xǐhuan.The more you watch, the more you like it.
你越想，越觉得难。nǐ yuè xiǎng, yuè juéde nán.The more you think about it, the more difficult it seems.
我越听，越能听懂。wǒ yuè tīng, yuè néng tīng dǒng.The more I listen, the better I can understand what I hear.
These sentences are especially useful when talking about learning, habits, and experience.
越…越… with 得
The 越…越… structure is often used with the particle 得 de, which helps describe how well or to what degree an action is performed.
你练习得越多，说得越好。nǐ liànxí de yuè duō, shuō de yuè hǎo.The more you practice, the better you speak.
你走得越快，越容易累。nǐ zǒu de yuè kuài, yuè róngyì lèi.The faster you walk, the more easily you get tired.
他说得越慢，我听得越清楚。tā shuō de yuè màn, wǒ tīng de yuè qīngchu.The more slowly he speaks, the more clearly I can understand him.
你写得越多，写得越快。nǐ xiě de yuè duō, xiě de yuè kuài.The more you write, the faster you become at writing.
Here, 得 comes after the verb, while 越 comes before the word that describes the degree or quality of the action.
越…越… in Sentences About Learning Chinese
This structure is especially useful when talking about language learning.
你越学中文，越觉得有意思。nǐ yuè xué Zhōngwén, yuè juéde yǒu yìsi.The more you study Chinese, the more interesting it seems.
你听得越多，听力越好。nǐ tīng de yuè duō, tīnglì yuè hǎo.The more you listen, the better your listening comprehension becomes.
你越练习发音，发音越标准。nǐ yuè liànxí fāyīn, fāyīn yuè biāozhǔn.The more you practice pronunciation, the more accurate it becomes.
你认识的汉字越多，阅读就越容易。nǐ rènshi de Hànzì yuè duō, yuèdú jiù yuè róngyì.The more Chinese characters you know, the easier reading becomes.
你越敢说中文，进步就越快。nǐ yuè gǎn shuō Zhōngwén, jìnbù jiù yuè kuài.The more confidently you dare to speak Chinese, the faster you improve.
Notice that 就 jiù sometimes appears in the second part of the sentence. It emphasizes the result and the connection between the two parts, but it is not always necessary.
越…越… with 就
The structure can also look like this:
越…就越…
It has the same meaning — “the more…, the more…” — but 就 helps emphasize the relationship between the two changes.
你越努力，就越容易成功。nǐ yuè nǔlì, jiù yuè róngyì chénggōng.The harder you work, the easier it is to succeed.
天气越冷，我就越不想出去。tiānqì yuè lěng, wǒ jiù yuè bù xiǎng chūqù.The colder the weather gets, the less I want to go outside.
你越了解中国文化，就越喜欢中国。nǐ yuè liǎojiě Zhōngguó wénhuà, jiù yuè xǐhuan Zhōngguó.The more you learn about Chinese culture, the more you like China.
Beginners can also use the simpler version without 就. Both forms are correct.
越…越… in Everyday Conversation
Here are some examples you can use in everyday conversations.
咖啡越喝越想喝。kāfēi yuè hē yuè xiǎng hē.The more coffee you drink, the more you want to drink.
这本书越看越有意思。zhè běn shū yuè kàn yuè yǒu yìsi.The more you read this book, the more interesting it becomes.
这个电影越看越喜欢。zhè ge diànyǐng yuè kàn yuè xǐhuan.The more you watch this movie, the more you like it.
我越听这首歌，越喜欢它。wǒ yuè tīng zhè shǒu gē, yuè xǐhuan tā.The more I listen to this song, the more I like it.
你越晚睡，第二天越累。nǐ yuè wǎn shuì, dì èr tiān yuè lèi.The later you go to bed, the more tired you feel the next day.
Quick Reference Guide
Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
越来越 + adjective | More and more / increasingly | 天气越来越冷。 — The weather is getting colder and colder. |
越 + adjective，越 + adjective | The…, the… | 越多越好。 — The more, the better. |
越 + action，越 + result | The more you do something, the stronger the result | 越学越有意思。 — The more you learn, the more interesting it becomes. |
越…就越… | The more…, the more…, emphasizing the result | 越努力，就越容易成功。 — The harder you work, the easier it is to succeed. |
The Main Idea
越…越… yuè…yuè… is a very useful Chinese grammar structure that helps express “the more…, the more…” or “the…, the…”.
It shows how one action or quality is connected with another.
你越练习，进步越快。nǐ yuè liànxí, jìnbù yuè kuài.The more you practice, the faster you improve.
天气越冷，我越不想出去。tiānqì yuè lěng, wǒ yuè bù xiǎng chūqù.The colder the weather gets, the less I want to go outside.
And if you want to say that something is gradually changing, use 越来越 yuè lái yuè:
中文越来越有意思。Zhōngwén yuè lái yuè yǒu yìsi.Chinese is becoming more and more interesting.
The main thing is not to confuse the two structures: 越来越 describes a gradual change, while 越…越… shows the relationship between two changes.