倒不如 (dào bù rú) — it would be better to; rather than (suggesting a preferable alternative); be no better than; be as bad as (used in comparisons)
Definition
倒不如 means 'it would be better to' or 'might as well', suggesting a preferable alternative or that two options are equally bad. Unlike 与其…不如…, which sets up a deliberate comparison, 倒不如 carries a stronger sense of resignation or dismissal.
verb
it would be better torather than (suggesting a preferable alternative)be no better thanbe as bad as (used in comparisons)
Examples
- ，倒不如。Yǔ qí zuò chē qù, dào bù rú zǒu lù qù.Rather than taking a car, it would be better to walk.
- 倒不如。Zhè jiàn yī fu de zhì liàng dào bù rú nà jiàn hǎo.The quality of this piece of clothing is no better than that one.
- 倒不如。Nǐ zhè yàng zuò dào bù rú bú zuò.Doing it this way is no better than not doing it.
Origin
Compound word构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head
The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.
倒 adds a sense of after all or contrary to expectation to 不如, which means not as good as.
Appears in
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