ABSTRACT
To contrast differences, as in the sentence ‘X is louder than Y,’ Mandarin uses the pattern with ↨ bH ‘as compared with.’ The structure is: X + ↨ bH + Y + DA. In this pattern, X precedes bH and possesses a comparative relationship, which is described by the descriptive adjective, with Y. The sentence is literally ‘X compared to Y is louder.’ Note that Y stands before the DA. See examples 6a-b.
