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Mythic Mandarin

Rather than wait, go now: 与其…不如

HSK 5 Unit 2: Rather than and on the contrary · Lesson 1 of 5 · About 26 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can recommend the better of two options with 与其…不如, and talk about choices in travel and daily life.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

  1. Meaning

    What does 挫折 mean?

    1. sweat
    2. setback
    3. very bad, harsh
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, setback.

    挫折 (cuòzhé) means setback.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to form (a habit)”?

    1. 坚定
    2. 养成
    3. 伟大
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 养成.

    “to form (a habit)” is 养成 (yǎngchéng).

New words

  • 与其yǔqírather than
  • 不如bùrúit would be better to, not as good as
  • 排队páiduìto queue
  • 干脆gāncuìsimply, might as well
  • 自驾zìjiàto drive oneself (on a trip)

与其 A，不如 B

与其 (yǔqí) A，不如 (bùrú) B is rather than A, it's better to B. The speaker prefers B.

  • 与其在这儿排队，不如去别的饭店。

    Yǔqí zài zhèr páiduì, bùrú qù biéde fàndiàn.

    Rather than queue here, we'd be better off going to another restaurant.

  • 与其坐火车，不如自驾，更自由。

    Yǔqí zuò huǒchē, bùrú zìjià, gèng zìyóu.

    Rather than take the train, it's better to drive ourselves; it's freer.

  • Not: 与其等，还不如去了。

    But: 与其等，不如去。 Yǔqí děng, bùrú qù.

    No 了: it's a recommendation.

不如 alone means not as good as: 坐火车不如自驾方便. 干脆 (gāncuì) is simply, might as well.

  • 下雨了，干脆在家看电影吧。

    Xiàyǔ le, gāncuì zài jiā kàn diànyǐng ba.

    It's raining; let's just watch a film at home.

Characters

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

The long queue

Anna and Mark arrive at a famous restaurant and see a huge queue.

Listen first

Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.

Helpful words: 天哪 tiānna good grief, oh my; 外卖 wàimài takeaway; 舒舒服服 shūshufufu comfortably; 自由 zìyóu free, freedom

  1. Listening

    Listen first. How long is the wait?

    1. half an hour
    2. one hour
    3. two hours
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, two hours.

    要等两个小时.

  2. Listening

    What do they decide in the end?

    1. wait two hours in the queue
    2. order a takeaway and eat at home
    3. go to the restaurant next door
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, order a takeaway and eat at home.

    我们干脆点外卖，回家吃吧.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 马克

    天哪Tiānna，排队páiduì的de人rén这么zhème多duō！要Yào等děng两liǎng个gè小时xiǎoshí。

    Good grief, so many people queuing! A two-hour wait.

  2. 安娜

    与其Yǔqí在zài这儿zhèr浪费làngfèi时间shíjiān，不如bùrú去qù旁边pángbiān那nà家jiā饭店fàndiàn。

    Rather than waste time here, let's go to the place next door.

  3. 马克

    可是Kěshì这zhè家jiā最zuì有名yǒumíng啊a。

    But this one's the most famous.

  4. 安娜

    有名Yǒumíng的de不bù一定yídìng最zuì好吃hǎochī。我们Wǒmen干脆gāncuì点diǎn外卖wàimài，回huí家jiā吃chī吧ba。

    Famous doesn't mean the tastiest. Let's just order a takeaway and eat at home.

  5. 马克

    好Hǎo主意zhǔyi。与其Yǔqí站zhàn两liǎng个gè小时xiǎoshí，不如bùrú在zài家jiā舒舒服服shūshufufu地de吃chī。

    Good idea. Rather than stand for two hours, let's eat comfortably at home.

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

  • 与其在这儿浪费时间，不如去旁边那家饭店。

    Yǔqí zài zhèr làngfèi shíjiān, bùrú qù pángbiān nà jiā fàndiàn.

    Rather than waste time here, let's go to the place next door.

  • 好主意。与其站两个小时，不如在家舒舒服服地吃。

    Hǎo zhǔyi. Yǔqí zhàn liǎng gè xiǎoshí, bùrú zài jiā shūshufufu de chī.

    Good idea. Rather than stand for two hours, let's eat comfortably at home.

  • 天哪，排队的人这么多！要等两个小时。

    Tiānna, páiduì de rén zhème duō! Yào děng liǎng gè xiǎoshí.

    Good grief, so many people queuing! A two-hour wait.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 与其 mean?

    1. day of the month (spoken)
    2. sugar
    3. rather than
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, rather than.

    与其 (yǔqí) means rather than.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “it would be better to, not as good as”?

    1. 不如
    2. 汗水
    3. 与其
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 不如.

    “it would be better to, not as good as” is 不如 (bùrú).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 排队 (to queue)?

    1. pàiduì
    2. páiduǐ
    3. páiduì
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, páiduì.

    排队 is read páiduì. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    干脆 gāncuì

    1. around, surroundings
    2. grandpa (father's father)
    3. simply, might as well
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, simply, might as well.

    You heard 干脆 (gāncuì): simply, might as well.

  5. Your turn

    Recall: type the Chinese for “to drive oneself (on a trip)” (characters or pinyin).

    Show the answer

    Answer: 自驾

    “to drive oneself (on a trip)” is 自驾 (zìjià).

  6. Grammar

    Which sentence is right?

    1. 与其坐车，还是走路。
    2. 与其坐车，所以走路。
    3. 与其坐车，不如走路。
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 与其坐车，不如走路。.

    与其坐车，不如走路。: 与其…不如…: rather than … better to ….

  7. Fill the gap

    Complete: It's raining; let's just stay home.

    下雨了，＿＿在家吧。

    1. 与其
    2. 干脆
    3. 排队
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 干脆.

    干脆: might as well, simply.

  8. In context

    You think the train is worse than driving. What do you say?

    1. 坐火车不如自驾不方便。
    2. 坐火车不如自驾方便。
    3. 自驾不如坐火车方便。
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 坐火车不如自驾方便。.

    坐火车不如自驾方便。: A 不如 B: A is not as good as B.

  9. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for to queue

    Show the answer

    Answer: 排队

    排队: to queue.

Better options

Give three recommendations out loud with 与其…不如.

  1. About transport.
  2. About food or shopping.
  3. About how to spend a free day.

Sentence frames

  • 与其＿＿，不如＿＿。

    Yǔqí ＿＿, bùrú ＿＿.

    Rather than ..., better to ...

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

  • I recommend the better option with 与其…不如.
  • I can use 不如 for not as good as.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next lesson: On the contrary: 反而