比不上

bǐbushàng

phrase HSK 7-9 #8,669

Meanings

1 can't compare with; not as good as
2 inferior to

Characters

not (potential complement marker)

up to; to reach

Compare (比) but can't reach (不上) - falling short in comparison.

Examples

HSK 1

他的中文比不上她的。

Tā de Zhōngwén bǐbushàng tā de.

His Chinese is not as good as hers.

HSK 4

这里的风景比不上家乡。

Zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng bǐbushàng jiāxiāng.

The scenery here can't compare to my hometown.

Tips

grammar

比不上 is the negative potential complement form of 比. The positive form is 比得上 (can compare with). A 比不上 B means A is inferior to B. Note the neutral tone on 不 - it's bu (unstressed) in this structure, not bù.

Stroke Order

比 bǐ

不 bù

上 shàng