Expressing "rather than..." with "yuqi... buru"

Just like any other language, Chinese has many ways of expressing preference. One of the ways is to use the 与其...宁可（yǔqí...nìngkě), and other similar variations.

Structure with 与其...宁可

与其...宁可 expresses preference by making a comparison. In this grammar pattern,the first option (A) is rejected, and the second option (B) is taken. This is like saying "in comparison to A, I would rather B." You can also swap out the 宁可 for 你愿 or 宁肯, which have the same meaning.

与其 + A，宁可（宁愿，宁肯）+ B

Examples

• 对待 工作，与其 看得 容易 些，宁可 看得 困难 些。
• 去 市区，与其 开车 过去，宁愿 坐 地铁 过去。
• 周末，与其 在家里 宅着，宁愿 和 朋友 一起 去 逛街。

Structure with 与其...不如

You can also use 与其...不如 to express a similar concept. Just like the above pattern, the speaker is choosing B over A. You can also add an optional 还, 倒, 真 before the 不如.

与其 + A，不如 + B

Examples

• 与其 这样 等着，不如 找点 事 做做。
• 与其 你 去，还不如 我 去，我 对 那边的 情况 更 了解。
• 天气 这么 好，与其 在家里 看 电视，不如 去 野炊。

Expressing an objective observation with 与其说...不如说

I this last structure, the speaker is basically saying the same thing, but actually using it with the verb 说. It expresses an objective judgment or evaluation, and according to the speaker, the latter part (B) is more correct or accurate than the earlier part (A).

与其说+A，不如说+B

Examples

• 与其说 是 鼓励，不如说 是 责备。
• 与其说 你 没 学 好，倒 不如说 说 我 没 教 好。
• 他的 学习 成绩 有所 下降，与其说 老师 同学 对他 的 帮助 不够，不如说 他 自己 努力 不够。

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语八百词（P.637） →buy

HSK6