[Learn basic Chinese with grammar] How to use 越來越 for “more and more”

What does 越來越 mean?

越來越 ♬ means “more and more.” It shows that a degree is gradually increasing over time.

Expression	Basic meaning	Main use
越來越 ♬	more and more	gradual change or increasing degree

越來越 is useful when something is changing little by little, not just when one thing is compared with another.

Use 越來越 ♬ before an adjective to say that something is becoming more and more that way.

Pattern	Meaning
Subject + 越來越 + Adjective	Subject is becoming more and more adjective

Chinese	English
天氣越來越熱。 ♬	The weather is getting hotter and hotter.
這條路越來越寬。 ♬	This road is becoming wider and wider.

Here, 越來越熱 and 越來越寬 describe a change that increases over time.

越來越 can describe people, situations, or things when their condition changes gradually.

Chinese	English
他的中文越來越自然。 ♬	His Chinese is becoming more and more natural.
這個城市越來越方便。 ♬	This city is becoming more and more convenient.

The sentence usually suggests a process, not a one-time comparison.

越來越 ♬ can also come before some verb phrases, especially when the verb phrase expresses a habit, tendency, preference, or feeling.

Pattern	Meaning
Subject + 越來越 + Verb phrase	Subject more and more does / feels something

Chinese	English
我越來越喜歡這個城市。 ♬	I like this city more and more.
學生越來越重視發音。 ♬	Students care more and more about pronunciation.

This use is common with verbs such as 喜歡, 重視, 了解, or 習慣.

Time words can make the gradual change clearer. They often come before the subject or before 越來越.

Chinese	English
最近，訂單越來越多。 ♬	Recently, there have been more and more orders.
這幾年，租金越來越高。 ♬	In recent years, rent has become higher and higher.

Words like 最近 and 這幾年 help show that the change happens over a period of time.

更 ♬ means “more” or “even more” in a comparison. 越來越 means “more and more” over time.

Chinese	English	Focus
這個版本更穩定。 ♬	This version is more stable.	comparison
這個版本越來越穩定。 ♬	This version is becoming more and more stable.	gradual change

Use 更 when comparing two things or two states. Use 越來越 when the degree keeps increasing.

越來越 already shows increasing degree, so you usually do not add 很 right after it.

Not natural	Natural Chinese
天氣越來越很熱。	天氣越來越熱。 ♬
他的中文越來越很自然。	他的中文越來越自然。 ♬

The not-natural examples are only for comparison, so they do not need audio.

越來越 itself is neutral. The adjective or verb phrase decides whether the meaning is positive, negative, or simply descriptive.

Chinese	English	Feeling
這個社區越來越安靜。 ♬	This community is becoming quieter and quieter.	usually positive
這個問題越來越複雜。 ♬	This issue is becoming more and more complicated.	often negative

Look at the word after 越來越 to understand the feeling of the sentence.