A BP Approach to the Form-Meaning Mismatch in the bi-Comparative Construction

This study investigates the significant factors constraining the form-meaning mismatch in the bi-Comparative construction using a Behavior Profile (BP) Approach. A long-debated issue in Chinese comparative structure is the asymmetry where a compared element is missing on the surface form, as in 他比去年瘦 'He is skinnier (this year) than last year.' Based on annotated data, the BP analysis reveals that form-meaning mismatch is favored in three conditions: when the dimension is explicitly expressed, the Attribute is a phrase, and the Target refers to a temporal category. In contrast, symmetrical match is found when the dimension is absent or appears within an attributive predicate. The study further demonstrates that the form-meaning mismatch results from the interaction of multiple factors, showing complex multidimensional effects. This paper redefines the bi-Comparative as the Comparison-Evaluative Construction (CEC), which is a member of the Evaluative Construction Family in Chinese for evaluative predication. It further argues that the surface form-meaning mismatch can be resolved by constructional coercion under topic prominence. The missing component typically pertains to the Topic of comparison and is readily implicated by the bi-marked Standard of comparison via coercion. In sum, this study applies the BP approach to provide empirical evidence for distinguishing the formal variation in Chinese comparative expressions, and ultimately proposes a well-motivated, usage-based constructional account of the Comparison-Evaluative Construction in Chinese.