Grammar · Chapter 38
与其…不如…: better to… than to…
与其 A，不如 B
与其…不如… first dismisses one option, then names the better one: 与其花很多钱买新的，不如把旧的修好. Both halves are full sentences with verbs. You have known 不如 since the early levels, but there it simply ranks qualities; with 与其 it is a conscious choice between two actions.
Examples
- 与其反复抱怨，不如把问题一一列出来。 Yǔqí fǎnfù bàoyuàn, bùrú bǎ wèntí yīyī liè chūlai. Rather than complaining again and again, it is better to list the problems one by one.
- 与其花很多钱买新的，不如把旧的修好。 Yǔqí huā hěn duō qián mǎi xīn de, bùrú bǎ jiù de xiūhǎo. Rather than spend a lot of money on a new one, you might as well fix the old one.
- 与其等车，不如走路。 Yǔqí děng chē, bùrú zǒulù. Rather than wait for the bus, you might as well walk.