與其...不如... means "instead of..."?

[82riceballs]

Recently, I learned the "與其...不如..." pattern in a Mandarin textbook which, unfortunately, only explains things in Chinese.

Here're some sentences I've read and tried to translate:

眼看著美麗的家園被風災給摧毀，與其我們天天坐在這力唉聲嘆氣，不如提起精神，捲起衣袖，動手恢復家園的原貌。

Our home was destroyed by a windstorm. Instead of sitting here sighing pitifully, we might as well refresh ourselves, roll up our sleeves and revive the former splendor of our home.

那一條河與其說河還不如說是水溝

That river [is so dirty that it] might as well be called a sewer.

與其羨慕別人，不如珍惜擁有

Instead of envying others, you might as well cherish what you have.

From reading a few sentences, I think this grammar structure means, "instead of... might as well..."? Please tell me if this is correct and add any relevant/helpful information

Thanks in advance!

[creamyhorror]

Yes, that's what it means. I don't know what additional information you want, those sentences illustrate it pretty well.

[chaxiu]

I haven’t covered the pattern yet. In about 3 months I’ll be there. This is what my text book says:

與其…A, ….不如….B

It’s better to….B….(rather) than…A

The speaker is comparing the clause following 與其 with the clause following不如. They feel that the clause following不如 in better.

Examples given:

你男朋友這麽花，與其將來傷心痛苦，不如現在分手算了。

Since your boyfriend is such a womanizer, it is better to break up now and just forget about it, rather than suffer the pain of a broken heart.

與其墮胎, 不如避孕。

It is better to use birth control than to have an abortion.

天氣這麽好，與其在家裏睡覺，不如出去走走。

When the weather is so nice, it’s better to go out than to stay at home and sleep.

Hope it helps

Chaxiu

[HashiriKata]

Examples given:

你男朋友這麽花，與其將來傷心痛苦，不如現在分手算了。

Since your boyfriend is such a womanizer' date=' it is better to break up now and just forget about it, rather than suffer the pain of a broken heart.

與其墮胎, 不如避孕。

It is better to use birth control than to have an abortion.[/quote']Interesting textbook you're using there, chaxiu!

[82riceballs]

Thanks for those unique example sentences, chaxiu!

And good luck with your Chinese studies