相当于…
to be equivalent to; to be as much as; to amount to
Structure
A ＋ 相当于 ＋ B（数量或事物）
What it means
'To be equivalent to, to amount to': sets a hard-to-picture quantity beside a familiar one, or matches ranks and roles across systems.
How it is built
A + 相当于 + B (noun phrase or number): 华丽羽王龙体重约1.4吨，相当于一辆小汽车 (Yutyrannus weighed about 1.4 tonnes, as much as a small car).
When to use it
Common in explanations and journalism: 面积相当于两个足球场; 中国的省大致相当于美国的州. For 'is not the same as', Chinese usually says 不等于 rather than 不相当于.
Watch out
Don't confuse it with 相当 + adjective, 'quite' (相当重, rather heavy): ✗相当于重. 相当于 needs a noun phrase or number after it.
Examples
华丽羽王龙体重约1.4吨，相当于一辆小汽车。
Yutyrannus weighed about 1.4 tonnes, as much as a small car.
这座图书馆共有三层，面积相当于两个足球场。
The library has three floors, with a floor area equal to two football pitches.
他现在一个月的工资，相当于父亲当年一年的收入。
He now earns in a month what his father earned in a year back then.
Learn this in Lesson 165 · HSK 7–9: 辽西的带毛恐龙 (The feathered dinosaurs of Liaoning)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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