Finer comparisons: 不如, 比不上, 与其…不如, 宁可…也不, 相比之下
Not as good as, can't compare, rather than, would rather, the more…the more, and by comparison.
Part of the free B2 Chinese course (about HSK 5). Examples are in Simplified characters, with pinyin only for some new or hard words; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
不如 and 比不上: not as good as
A 不如 B (+ adjective): A is not as good (fast, tall…) as B. The adjective is usually the desirable quality, and it can be left out when "good" is meant.
- 坐火车不如坐飞机快。Going by train isn't as fast as flying.
A 比不上 B: A can't compare with B. It's a potential complement (Can or can't manage it: 听得懂, 看不见) and sounds more personal; it usually stands without an adjective.
- 论做饭，我比不上我姐姐。When it comes to cooking, I'm no match for my sister.
不如 on its own before a verb is a suggestion: "might as well".
- 天快黑了，我们不如明天再去吧。It's getting dark; we might as well go tomorrow.
与其…不如 and 宁可…也不: choosing
These two set the options in opposite places, so read carefully.
| Pattern | Pinyin | Chosen option |
|---|---|---|
| 与其 A，不如 B | yǔqí … bùrú | B (rather than A, better B) |
| 宁可 A，也不 B | nìngkě … yě bù | A (I'd rather A than B) |
- 与其花钱买新的，不如把旧的修一修。Rather than spend money on a new one, it's better to fix the old one.
- 我宁可少挣点钱，也不想天天加班。I'd rather earn a bit less than work overtime every day.
宁愿 (nìngyuàn) means the same as 宁可. With 宁可 the chosen option is often a sacrifice the speaker accepts.
越…越 and 相比之下
越 A 越 B (越来越 and 越…越: more and more) also works with two subjects: 你越解释，他越生气.
- 这个问题越想越复杂。The more I think about this problem, the more complicated it gets.
相比之下 (xiāngbǐ zhīxià), "by comparison", is written and opens a sentence that looks back at the previous one.
- 城市生活节奏很快，相比之下，农村要悠闲得多。City life is fast-paced; by comparison, the countryside is much more relaxed.
Common mistakes
与其坐公交，宁可走路。→ 与其坐公交，不如走路。Don't mix the pairs: 与其…不如, 宁可…也不.我宁可走路，也坐他的车。→ 也不坐他的车。宁可 A 也不 B: the rejected option is negated.- 他不如我矮。 sounds odd to most speakers rather than being plainly ungrammatical: 不如 normally takes the desirable quality (他不如我高). For "not as short as me", say 他没有我矮.
北京相比之下上海更冷。→ 和上海相比，北京更冷。相比之下 refers back to a previous sentence; for a direct comparison use 和/与…相比.
Practice
- 这家店的咖啡_____那家的好喝。// This shop's coffee isn't as good as that one's.Options: 不如 · 宁可 · 越
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不如 — A 不如 B + adjective.
- 与其在这儿等，_____我们走回去吧。// Rather than waiting here, we might as well walk back.Options: 不如 · 也不 · 相比之下
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不如 — 与其 A，不如 B.
- 他宁可饿着，_____吃这种东西。// He'd rather go hungry than eat this stuff.Options: 也不 · 不如 · 也要
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也不 — 宁可 A，也不 B.
- In 我宁可走着去，也不坐他的车, which option does the speaker choose?Options: Walking · Taking his car · Neither
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Walking — 宁可 marks the chosen option.