Difference between revisions of "Comparisons with "buru""

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As in the last example sentence, 不如 often occurs in the 与其...不如 structure, meaning "rather than X... might as well Y".
 
As in the last example sentence, 不如 often occurs in the 与其...不如 structure, meaning "rather than X... might as well Y".
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== Sources and further reading ==
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===  Books ===
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* Boya Chinese Lower Intermediate 1 (博雅汉语准中级加速篇) pp.38-39
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* Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇) pp.80-81

Revision as of 06:53, 8 November 2011

不如 means "not as good as", and can be used to make comparisons in the same way as the 比 structure.

A + 不如 + B + adjective

Here are some examples:

  • 城市 的 生活 环境 不如 乡下 舒服。
  • 红茶 的 口感 不如 铁观音 清爽。
  • 浙江 人 特别 会 做 生意,连 广东 人 都不如他们!

Unlike the 比 structure, the adjective in this structure can be omitted, as in the last example sentence, to give a feeling that A does not live up to, or is unequal to B.

When facing a choice, 不如 can also be used to mean "might as well" to emphasize the choice is the better of two options.

For example:

  • 既然 已经 做 了 一半,你 不如 坚持 下去。
  • 与其 空想,不如 马上 行动,做 出 点儿 成绩。

As in the last example sentence, 不如 often occurs in the 与其...不如 structure, meaning "rather than X... might as well Y".


Sources and further reading

Books

  • Boya Chinese Lower Intermediate 1 (博雅汉语准中级加速篇) pp.38-39
  • Short-term Spoken Chinese: Elementary (汉语口语速成基础篇) pp.80-81