不如

HSK 3

Structure (结构 jiégòu)

A不如B(Adjective/Verb)

不如 used for comparison, indicating that object A is not as good as object B, or to suggest "it would be better to…" / "rather… than…".

不如 (bùrú) has two main uses:

Comparison: 'not as good as': Used to indicate that A is inferior to B in some respect. For example, 我不如他高 (I am not as tall as he is).
Making a suggestion: 'it would be better to': When one option seems unsatisfactory, 不如 is used to propose a better alternative. For example, 走路太慢，不如打车吧 (Walking is too slow; we'd be better off taking a taxi).

我的中文不如他好。
Wǒ de Zhōngwén bùrú tā hǎo.
My Chinese is not as good as his.
坐地铁不如坐公交车方便。
繁: 坐地鐵不如坐公交車方便。Zuò dìtiě bùrú zuò gōngjiāochē fāngbiàn.
Taking the subway is not as convenient as taking the bus.
他说得不如唱得好听。
繁: 他說得不如唱得好聽。Tā shuō de bùrú chàng de hǎotīng.
He doesn't speak as pleasantly as he sings.
天气这么热，不如我们去游泳吧。
繁: 天氣這麼熱，不如我們去游泳吧。Tiānqì zhème rè, bùrú wǒmen qù yóuyǒng ba.
It's so hot, why don't we go swimming.
一个人吃饭不如大家一起吃热闹。
繁: 一個人吃飯不如大家一起吃熱鬧。Yí ge rén chīfàn bùrú dàjiā yìqǐ chī rènào.
Eating alone is not as enjoyable as eating together with everyone.

Wrong:我比他不好。
Correct:我不如他好。
To express 'inferior to', do not use the structure '比 + negative adjective'; use '不如 + positive adjective' instead.
Wrong:这件衣服不如那件。
Correct:这件衣服不如那件好看。
When comparing with 不如, an adjective or verb is usually needed at the end to clarify the aspect of comparison.