提高 vs 增加 in Chinese (China, Simplified)

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提高 and 增加 can both mean "to increase," but they differ in nuance:

提高 (tígāo) refers to improving something, raising a standard, or enhancing quality. It's often used with abstract nouns like 水平 (shuǐpíng - level/skill) or 效率 (xiàolǜ - efficiency). It implies making something better or higher.
- 提高 水平 (tígāo shuǐpíng) - to improve one's skills/level
- 提高 效率 (tígāo xiàolǜ) - to increase efficiency
- 提高 工资 (tígāo gōngzī) - to raise salaries (implies an improvement in workers' conditions)
增加 (zēngjiā) refers to making something larger in quantity, number, or amount. It's often used with concrete nouns like 人数 (rénshù - number of people) or 成本 (chéngběn - costs). It focuses on the growth in size.
- 增加 人数 (zēngjiā rénshù) - to increase the number of people
- 增加 成本 (zēngjiā chéngběn) - to increase costs
- 增加 产量 (zēngjiā chǎnliàng) - to increase production output

In short: 提高 = improve, enhance, raise (quality/standard) 增加 = add to, augment, grow (quantity/amount)