LEARN + CHINESE / 270 of 300 HSK 7–9
Rather Than That, I’d Choose This例 · 与其坐车
“Rather than rush through dinner, I’d rather stay and enjoy it.” 与其……宁可/宁愿…… sets the less favoured option first, then names the choice the speaker prefers. The pair makes the trade-off explicit.
与其坐车，不如走路。
yǔqí zuòchē， bùrú zǒulù。
Rather than take a car, let's walk.
他宁可牺牲生命，也不出卖组织。
tā nìngkě xīshēng shēngmìng， yě bù chūmài zǔzhī。
He would rather lose his life than betray his organization.
我宁愿自己独立生活也不要他来指使我。
wǒ nìngyuàn zìjǐ dúlì shēnghuó yě bùyào tā lái zhǐshǐ wǒ。
I would rather live independently than let him order me around.
Vocabulary
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
yǔqí | rather than; better than |
nìngkě | would rather |
nìngyuàn | would rather |
bùrú | not as good as |
bùyào | do not; must not |
chūmài | to sell; betray |
xīshēng | to sacrifice; sacrifice |
dúlì | independent; to stand alone |
shēngmìng | life |
shēnghuó | life; to live |
zǔzhī | to organize; organization |
zìjǐ | oneself |
zǒulù | to walk (as transport) |
lǜsè | green color |
qíchē | to ride a bike |
yǐzi | chair |
zhěngtiān | all day long |
hùshi | nurse |
yàome | either... or... |
bùrúshuō | rather say; better to say |
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