The "better...than..." structures with 与其
The structure 与其…不如…
The structure 与其…不如… 
strongly emphasizes the attitude or opinion of a speaker. It is used when action “B” is preferable to action “A”.
A subject can be placed before 不如.
strongly emphasizes the attitude or opinion of a speaker. It is used when action “B” is preferable to action “A”.
A subject can be placed before 不如.Scheme
与其
A
不如
B
Both options could be good for the speaker, but “B” is much better than “A”.
Pay attention
还 is often placed before 不如 to strengthen the expression emotionally.
is often placed before 不如 to strengthen the expression emotionally.Examples
与其帮别人打工，还不如自己当老板
Better to be your own boss than to work for others
yǔqí bāng biérén dǎgōng, hái bùrú zìjǐ dāng lǎobǎn
与其在这里浪费时间，我们不如认真复习
Instead of wasting time here, let’s study hard
yǔqí zài zhèlǐ làngfèi shíjiān, wǒmen bùrú rènzhēn fùxí
与其回家，不如跟我们一起去
Better come with us to go back home
yǔqí huí jiā, bùrú gēn wǒmen yíqǐ qù
The structures 与其…，宁愿… and 与其…，宁可…
The structures 与其…，宁愿… and 与其…，宁可… have the same meaning: "better... than...".
and 与其…，宁可… have the same meaning: "better... than...".Scheme
与其
A
宁可/宁愿
B
Although both options are bad for the speaker, ”B” is preferable to "A".
A subject can be placed before 宁愿 and 宁可.
Examples
与其迟到一分钟，宁可早到一小时
Better to be an hour early than a minute late
yǔqí chídào yì fēnzhōng, nìngkě zǎo dào yì xiǎoshí
与其跟他一组，我宁愿一个人做这个项目
I’d rather do this project alone than in a group with others
yǔqí gēn tā yì zǔ, wǒ nìngyuàn yí ge rén zuò zhè ge xiàngmù
与其住在陌生的大城市 ，爷爷宁可住农村的老房子
Instead of living in an unfamiliar city, grandpa would rather live in an old country house
yǔqí zhù zài mòshēng de dà chéngshì, yéye nìngkě zhù nóngcūn de lǎo fángzi
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