宁可…也不… nìngkě… yě bù…

宁可…也不…（nìngkě… yě bù…）means “would rather… than…”. "宁可…也不…" expresses a firm choice: one would rather accept A (often something unpleasant) than do B. Formation: 宁可 + 选项A（宁愿接受），也不 + 选项B（拒绝）

would rather… than…

HSK5

Formation

宁可 + 选项A（宁愿接受），也不 + 选项B（拒绝）

Explanation

"宁可…也不…" expresses a firm choice: one would rather accept A (often something unpleasant) than do B. "宁可" marks the option chosen, and "也不" marks the option firmly rejected. It shows strong determination or principle.

Examples

他 宁可 站着，也不 坐那把破椅子。
tā nìngkě zhànzhe, yě bù zuò nà bǎ pò yǐzi.
He would rather stand than sit on that broken chair.
我 宁可 自己吃亏，也不 骗朋友。
wǒ nìngkě zìjǐ chīkuī, yě bù piàn péngyou.
I would rather lose out myself than deceive a friend.

Note

The chosen (often harder) option follows "宁可"; the rejected one follows "也不". Also "宁愿…也不…".

FAQ

宁可…也不… — what does it mean and how is it used?

would rather… than…. "宁可…也不…" expresses a firm choice: one would rather accept A (often something unpleasant) than do B. "宁可" marks the option chosen, and "也不" marks the option firmly rejected. It shows strong determination or principle.

宁可…也不… — how do you form it?

宁可 + 选项A（宁愿接受），也不 + 选项B（拒绝）

宁可…也不… — any usage notes?

The chosen (often harder) option follows "宁可"; the rejected one follows "也不". Also "宁愿…也不…".

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