4 · Comparison
Not as good as: bùrú
not as good as, better to
A bùrú B means that A is not as good as B — and bùrú before an action suggests a better plan.
不如 means literally “is not like”, and in practice “is not as good as”. On its own, with nothing after B, it already carries the judgement: 我的中文不如你, “my Chinese is not as good as yours”. No adjective is needed; “good” is understood.
An adjective after B says in what way B is better: 这双鞋不如那双舒服, “these shoes are not as comfortable as that pair”. The order is the familiar one — A, comparing word, B, adjective — and the adjective names a quality worth having: 好, 方便, 舒服, 便宜. In meaning it is close to 没有, but 不如 sounds more like a verdict and a little more formal.
Before an action, 不如 proposes a better plan: “we might as well”, “it would be better to”. 外面下雨了，我们不如在家看电影, “it is raining, so we might as well watch a film at home”. In writing the two options are often framed with 与其 … 不如, “rather than … better to …”.
Two warnings for English speakers. 不如 contains its own negation, so nothing else negative goes in front of it. And it is not the word for “unlike”: that is 跟 … 不一样 or 不像. With 还 in front, 还不如 means “even worse than”, a favourite of complaints: 打车还不如走路快, “a taxi is even slower than walking”.
The form
| not as good as | 我的字不如他的。 |
| not as … as, with an adjective | 这个办法不如那个好。 |
| even worse than | 坐车还不如走路快。 |
| a better plan | 我们不如明天再去。 |
| the written frame | 与其等车，不如走路。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
A 不如 B, with nothing after it, means that A is not as good as B.
我做的菜不如妈妈做的。My cooking is not as good as my mother's.
An adjective after B says in what way; it names a quality that B has more of.
住在郊区不如住在城里方便。Living in the suburbs is not as convenient as living in town.
不如 before an action proposes a better choice: “we might as well”.
太晚了，我们不如打车回去吧。It's too late — we might as well take a taxi back.
还不如 means “even worse than”.
这家饭馆的菜还不如我做的。The food in this restaurant is even worse than my own cooking.
Nothing negative goes in front of 不如: the negation is already inside.
他的身体不如以前了。His health is not what it used to be.
A closer look
Bùrú, méiyǒu and bǐ side by side
Three sentences can describe the same two people. 他比我高 looks at the taller one. 我没有他高 looks at the shorter one and simply states a fact. 我不如他高 also looks at the shorter one, but sounds like an assessment, as if height were a point in his favour.
Only 不如 can stand without an adjective. 我不如你 is a complete sentence — “I am not as good as you”, often said modestly — while 我没有你 would only mean “I don’t have you”. That is also why 不如 is at home in proverbs, where brevity counts.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the adjective is something nobody would want (noisy, expensive, old)
use 没有 or 比, not 不如.
这个房间没有那个吵。This room is not as noisy as that one.
不如 treats the quality as a merit that B has more of; with a bad quality the sentence sounds as if noise or high prices were something to aim for.
How to spot it
- 不如
- 还不如
- 与其…不如
Example sentences
在家看比赛不如去现场看。Watching the match at home is not as good as watching it at the ground.
我的记性不如以前了。My memory is not as good as it used to be.
这双鞋不如那双舒服。These shoes are not as comfortable as that pair.
等公交车要半个小时，我们不如走过去。The bus will take half an hour — we might as well walk there.
我画得不如我妹妹好。I don't draw as well as my younger sister.
与其在这儿等，不如先去吃饭。Rather than waiting here, we might as well go and eat first.
7 more example sentences
我的中文不如你。My Chinese is not as good as yours.
今年的生意不如去年好。Business this year is not as good as last year.
这么多人排队，不如换一家吧。With so many people queuing, we might as well try another place.
路上这么堵，打车还不如走路快。With the roads this jammed, a taxi is even slower than walking.
网上买的衣服不如店里买的合适。Clothes bought online do not fit as well as clothes bought in a shop.
明天可能下雨，我们不如今天就去。It may rain tomorrow — we might as well go today.
我跑得不如年轻的时候快了。I don't run as fast as I did when I was young.
Worth knowing (1)
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Bùrú in sayings
Several well-known sayings are built on 不如: 百闻不如一见, “hearing about something a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once”, and the one below, about the value of good neighbours.
远亲不如近邻。A neighbour close by is worth more than relatives far away.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English says “not as tall as him”, with the adjective before the person, and that order slips into the Chinese sentence. 不如 follows the same frame as 比 and 没有: B comes straight after it, and the adjective closes the sentence.
A bùrú B means B is better; add an adjective to say how, or an action to suggest a better plan.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.