与其说

與其說

yǔqíshuō

conjunction #17,168

Meanings

1 rather than say...
2 it would be better to say...

Characters

Literally 'with that said,' used to introduce a comparison between two characterizations.

Examples

与其说他聪明，不如说他努力。

Yǔqíshuō tā cōngmíng, bùrúshuō tā nǔlì.

Rather than saying he's smart, it would be better to say he works hard.

与其说这是运气，不如说这是实力。

Yǔqíshuō zhè shì yùnqì, bùrúshuō zhè shì shílì.

Rather than calling it luck, it's better to call it skill.

Tips

grammar

与其说...不如说... is a fixed pattern meaning 'rather than saying X, it would be better to say Y.' The second clause presents what the speaker considers more accurate.

Stroke Order

与 yǔ

其 qí

说 shuō