5 · Linking clauses
Rather than: yǔqí … bùrú and nìngkě … yě bù
choosing between two options
Yǔqí … bùrú weighs two options and picks the second; nìngkě … yě bù accepts a cost rather than do something.
与其 … 不如 compares two options and prefers the second. 与其 introduces the one that is turned down, 不如 the one that is better: 与其在家等，不如出去找, “rather than wait at home, we’d do better to go out and look”. Literally it is “compared with A, it is not as good as B” — the same 不如 as in comparisons.
宁可 … 也不 works from the other end. 宁可 introduces something unpleasant that the speaker is willing to accept, and 也不 what they refuse to do: 我宁可走路，也不坐他的车, “I would rather walk than ride in his car”. With 也要 instead, 宁可 names the price paid for a goal. 宁愿 is a close synonym.
The tone differs. 与其 … 不如 reasons and advises — it is the pattern for “you would do better to”. 宁可 declares a personal decision and often a refusal, with some determination behind it.
English speakers stumble over the order. “I’d rather take the underground than a taxi” puts the preferred option first; 与其 puts the rejected option first. 宁可, on the other hand, starts with the one the speaker accepts, just as “would rather” does.
The form
| rather than A, better B | 与其在家等，不如出去找。 |
| spoken: 还不如 | 与其打车，还不如坐地铁快。 |
| would rather A than B | 我宁可走路，也不坐他的车。 |
| rather pay A, to get B | 她宁可少睡一点儿，也要把报告写完。 |
| 宁愿 | 他宁愿自己吃亏，也不让朋友为难。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
与其 introduces the option that is turned down; 不如 introduces the one that is better.
与其花钱修这台旧电脑，不如买一台新的。Rather than paying to repair this old computer, you might as well buy a new one.
宁可 introduces the cost the speaker accepts; 也不 introduces what they refuse to do.
我宁可饿着，也不吃这种东西。I’d rather go hungry than eat this stuff.
With 也要 instead, 宁可 names the price paid for a goal.
他宁可晚一点儿到，也要把车开得安全一些。He would rather arrive a little late and drive more safely.
与其 … 不如 reasons and advises; 宁可 declares a personal decision.
与其整天抱怨，不如想想办法。Instead of complaining all day, think of something you can do about it.
A closer look
Weighing and resolving
与其 … 不如 sounds like a reasonable person thinking aloud, and that is why it suits advice. In everyday speech the first half often loses 与其, and 还不如 carries the comparison alone: 在家等着，还不如出去走走, “we might as well go out for a walk instead of waiting at home”.
宁可 sounds like someone who has made up their mind. The first half is a sacrifice, and the more it costs, the stronger the refusal or the goal in the second half. Note the reading: in 宁可 and 宁愿 the character is nìng, in the fourth tone.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the character 宁 appears in a word meaning “peaceful”, or in a place name
it is read níng, in the second tone, as in 安宁 and 南宁.
南宁的冬天不冷。Winters in Nanning are not cold.
The same character has two readings with two meanings; the fourth-tone nìng, “would rather”, belongs to 宁可 and 宁愿.
How to spot it
- 与其…不如
- 宁可…也不
- 宁可…也要
- 宁愿
- 还不如
Example sentences
与其在这儿排队，不如明天早点儿再来。Rather than queue here, we’d do better to come back early tomorrow.
我宁可多花点儿钱，也不想买质量差的东西。I’d rather spend a bit more than buy poor-quality things.
与其说他聪明，不如说他努力。He isn’t so much clever as hard-working.
她宁愿自己做，也不想麻烦别人。She would rather do it herself than trouble anyone else.
他宁可每天坐两个小时的车，也要住在安静的郊区。He would rather spend two hours a day on the bus if it means living in a quiet suburb.
与其等别人来帮你，不如自己先动手。Rather than wait for someone to help you, make a start yourself.
7 more example sentences
与其在网上看评论，不如自己去试一次。Rather than reading reviews online, go and try it once yourself.
我宁可站着，也不想坐在那儿。I’d rather stand than sit over there.
与其以后后悔，不如现在就去做。Rather than regret it later, do it now.
老王宁可少赚点儿钱，也要多陪陪家人。Old Wang would rather earn a bit less and spend more time with his family.
天这么热，与其去逛街，还不如在家看书。In heat like this, I’d sooner stay at home and read than go shopping.
他宁可输掉比赛，也不愿意作弊。He would rather lose the match than cheat.
与其说这是一次旅行，不如说是一次冒险。It was not so much a trip as an adventure.
Worth knowing (1)
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Yǔqí shuō … bùrú shuō: “not so much … as”
With 说 in both halves, the pattern corrects a description rather than choosing an action: “it is not so much X as Y”. It is common in commentary and careful argument.
这与其说是运气，不如说是努力的结果。This is not so much luck as the result of hard work.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The intended meaning is “take the underground rather than a taxi”. English names the preferred option first, so learners put it after 与其 — and say the opposite of what they mean. 与其 holds the option that is dropped; the preferred one comes after 不如.
Yǔqí holds the option you drop, bùrú the one you take; nìngkě holds the price you will pay.
Your turn
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