Would rather ... than with 宁可…也不 — Chinese grammar (HSK 5)

宁可 + Hard choice，也不 + Rejected choice

宁可 (nìngkě) means "would rather" and introduces a hard or costly choice that the speaker accepts in order to avoid something worse, introduced by 也不. Unlike 与其…不如, which is a calm recommendation, 宁可…也不 shows a firm personal stance. The accepted sacrifice comes first.

Examples

我宁可走路，也不坐出租车。 Wǒ nìngkě zǒulù, yě bù zuò chūzūchē.	I would rather walk than take a taxi.
她宁可收入少一点儿，也不愿意经常加班。 Tā nìngkě shōurù shǎo yīdiǎnr, yě bù yuànyì jīngcháng jiābān.	She would rather earn less than work overtime all the time.
他宁可自己辛苦，也不麻烦别人。 Tā nìngkě zìjǐ xīnkǔ, yě bù máfan biéren.	He would rather work hard himself than trouble others.

Tip: The unpleasant option you choose goes after 宁可; what you refuse goes after 也不.