<p>Becky's answer is excellent.</p>
<p>I also want to point out that your original translation doesn't cover the word 'more'. It's &quot;more use&quot;, not just 'use'. So, you definitely need 更多.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-28T02:43:21.917Z
2023-05-28T02:43:21.917Z
dan
<blockquote>
<p>聪明人从敌人那里得到好处<strong>比</strong>傻瓜从朋友那里得到的。<br />
A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Chinese sentence seems incomplete; the main issue is that it lacks an adjective:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + Adj.<br />
<sub><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Basic_comparisons_with_%22bi%22" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Basic comparisons with &quot;bi&quot;</a>, Chinese Grammar Wiki</sub></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Google suggests the correct sentence should be:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>一个聪明人从敌人那里得到的东西，<strong>比</strong>一个傻瓜从朋友那得到的东西<strong>更多</strong>。  (<a href="https://k.sina.com.cn/article_5907159418_16018197a01900q9ml.html?from=cul#/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a>)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and we have:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Noun 1 = 一个聪明人从敌人那里得到的东西<br />
Noun 2 = 一个傻瓜从朋友那得到的东西</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Here 更多 means &quot;even more&quot;, implying a fool can get things from friends, but the wise man can get <em>even more</em> from their enemies.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-28T13:18:09.153Z
The word 东西 is often omitted. For example, 这是我的 = 这是我的东西。
PdotWang
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-27T23:47:27.540Z
2023-05-27T23:47:27.540Z
Becky 李蓓
<p>Agree with Becky: you need 更多 at the end:</p>
<p>智者从敌人那里得到的好处比愚者从朋友那里得到的更多。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-28T00:42:23.963Z
2023-05-28T08:11:08.157Z
2023-05-28T08:11:08.157Z
Pedroski
<p>您們好!</p>
<p>Firstly, I would like to point out that I am 1st year student.
I wanted to ask you if 比 comparative structure is correct here in this sentence &quot;聪明人从敌人那里得到好处比傻瓜从朋友那里得到的。&quot; because my tutor was ambiguous about it. It's my own translation of this “A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.” (it's Baltasar Gracian quote from &quot;The Art of Worldly Wisdom: A Pocket Oracle&quot;)</p>
<p>Thanks for help :)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-28T00:02:57.697Z
You are very close. Try this: 一个聪明人从敌人那里**获得的**比一个傻瓜从朋友那**得到的**多得多。
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-28T14:26:32.563Z
Apart from the answers already given (especially the missing adjective), the entire construction seems rather clunky and unnatural to me as a pithy saying – too literal and too colloquial (especially with the 那里). Substituting 智者 and 愚者 as in @pedroski’s answer definitely helps, but I would restructure the whole thing to avoid the 比 construction entirely. Perhaps something along the lines of 智者利用敌人多于愚者利用朋友.
Janus Bahs Jacquet
<translation><grammar><ambiguity>
Is the comparative construction with 比 here correct?
# Is the comparative construction with 比 here correct?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-05-27)

您們好!

Firstly, I would like to point out that I am 1st year student.
I wanted to ask you if 比 comparative structure is correct here in this sentence "聪明人从敌人那里得到好处比傻瓜从朋友那里得到的。" because my tutor was ambiguous about it. It's my own translation of this “A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.” (it's Baltasar Gracian quote from "The Art of Worldly Wisdom: A Pocket Oracle")

Thanks for help :)

**Tags:** translation, grammar, ambiguity
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You are very close. Try this: 一个聪明人从敌人那里**获得的**比一个傻瓜从朋友那**得到的**多得多。  
> **username_2**: Apart from the answers already given (especially the missing adjective), the entire construction seems rather clunky and unnatural to me as a pithy saying – too literal and too colloquial (especially with the 那里). Substituting 智者 and 愚者 as in @pedroski’s answer definitely helps, but I would restructure the whole thing to avoid the 比 construction entirely. Perhaps something along the lines of 智者利用敌人多于愚者利用朋友.  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2023-05-28. Score: 1

Becky's answer is excellent.

I also want to point out that your original translation doesn't cover the word 'more'. It's "more use", not just 'use'. So, you definitely need 更多.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2023-05-27. Score: 1

> 聪明人从敌人那里得到好处**比**傻瓜从朋友那里得到的。  
> A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.

The Chinese sentence seems incomplete; the main issue is that it lacks an adjective:

> Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + Adj.  
> [Basic comparisons with "bi"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Basic_comparisons_with_%22bi%22), Chinese Grammar Wiki

Google suggests the correct sentence should be:

> 一个聪明人从敌人那里得到的东西，**比**一个傻瓜从朋友那得到的东西**更多**。 ([source](https://k.sina.com.cn/article_5907159418_16018197a01900q9ml.html?from=cul#/))

and we have:

> Noun 1 = 一个聪明人从敌人那里得到的东西  
> Noun 2 = 一个傻瓜从朋友那得到的东西

Here 更多 means "even more", implying a fool can get things from friends, but the wise man can get *even more* from their enemies.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: The word 东西 is often omitted. For example, 这是我的 = 这是我的东西。  

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### Answer by username_6 on 2023-05-28. Score: 1

Agree with Becky: you need 更多 at the end:

智者从敌人那里得到的好处比愚者从朋友那里得到的更多。


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