越来越
HSK 3- Comparison
Structure (结构 jiégòu)
Meaning (意思 yìsi)
越来越 is used to express a progressive change over time, meaning 'more and more...' or 'increasingly...'.
Explanation (解释 jiěshì)
The structure 越来越 is used to express that something, an event, or a state is gradually changing over time, equivalent to "more and more..." or "increasingly..." in English. It can be used with adjectives (e.g., 越来越好 - better and better) or verbs expressing emotions and thoughts (e.g., 越来越喜欢 - like more and more). 了 is often placed at the end of the sentence to emphasize that the change has been and is continuing to take place.
Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)
- 天气越来越冷了。繁: 天氣越來越冷了。Tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng le.
The weather is getting colder and colder.
- 我的中文越来越好了。繁: 我的中文越來越好了。Wǒ de Zhōngwén yuè lái yuè hǎo le.
My Chinese is getting better and better.
- 他跑得越来越快了。繁: 他跑得越來越快了。Tā pǎo de yuè lái yuè kuài le.
He ran faster and faster.
- 我越来越喜欢你了。繁: 我越來越喜歡你了。Wǒ yuè lái yuè xǐhuan nǐ le.
I'm liking you more and more.
- 问题变得越来越复杂。繁: 問題變得越來越複雜。Wèntí biàn de yuè lái yuè fùzá.
The problem is becoming increasingly complicated.
Common mistakes
- Wrong:天气越来越很冷。Correct:天气越来越冷了。
Since `越来越` already indicates a gradual increase in degree, additional adverbs of degree like `很` or `非常` are unnecessary.
- Wrong:他越来越吃饭。Correct:他饭吃得越来越多了。
越来越 cannot directly modify an action verb; a degree complement is needed to describe the action.