HSK 4Conjunctions

与其...不如(yǔqí...bùrú)

Rather Than / Better To

Structure Pattern

与其+A (worse)+不如+B (better)

Explanation

与其...不如 (yǔqí...bùrú) means "rather than A, better to B." It compares two options and recommends B over A.

Example Sentences

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与其抱怨，不如行动。

Yǔqí bàoyuàn, bùrú xíngdòng.

Rather than complain, take action.

与其在家无聊，不如出去走走。

Yǔqí zài jiā wúliáo, bùrú chūqù zǒuzou.

Rather than being bored at home, go for a walk.

与其等别人帮忙，不如自己动手。

Yǔqí děng biérén bāngmáng, bùrú zìjǐ dòngshǒu.

Rather than waiting for help, do it yourself.

Common Mistakes

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Common Mistake

与其苹果不如香蕉甜。

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Correct Usage

与其吃苹果，不如吃香蕉。

info

The mistake is using '不如' directly with an adjective (甜) to compare qualities. '与其...不如' compares two *actions* or *choices*, recommending the second one. The correct sentence compares the actions of 'eating apples' and 'eating bananas'.

conjunctioncomparisonpreference

Related Grammar Points

比HSK 2

Comparison (More Than)

bǐ

比 (bǐ) is used to compare two things. The pattern is "A 比 B + Adjective," meaning "A is more [adj] than B." Note: do NOT use 很 with 比 comparisons. To express "much more," add 多了 or the specific degree after the adjective.

Comparisons4 examples

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