HSK 5 grammar · conjunction
与其…不如
与其…不如… — rather than
Pattern
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
Weighs two options and rejects the first (A) in favor of the second (B), which the speaker judges better or more sensible. B is the recommended choice, so translate it as 'rather than A, better to B'.
Examples
与其在这里空想，不如动手试一试。
Yǔqí zài zhèlǐ kōngxiǎng, bùrú dòngshǒu shì yī shì.
Rather than daydreaming here, it's better to give it a try.
与其买贵的，不如买实用的。
Yǔqí mǎi guì de, bùrú mǎi shíyòng de.
Rather than buying the expensive one, better to buy the practical one.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 与其…不如 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.