HSK 7–9 grammar · conjunction
与其⋯⋯，宁可/宁愿⋯⋯
与其⋯⋯，宁可/宁愿⋯⋯ — rather than …, I'd sooner …
Pattern
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
与其 names the option being rejected and 宁可/宁愿 names the one chosen, even though it also has a cost: "rather than A, I'd sooner B". Compare 与其…不如…, which simply says B is better; this pair admits B is hard and takes it anyway.
Examples
与其求人，宁可自己动手。
Yǔqí qiú rén, nìngkě zìjǐ dòngshǒu.
Rather than ask for help, I'd sooner do it myself.
与其坐着等，宁愿出去走走。
Yǔqí zuòzhe děng, nìngyuàn chūqù zǒuzou.
Rather than sit and wait, I'd rather go out for a walk.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 与其⋯⋯，宁可/宁愿⋯⋯ is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.