Chinese grammar › HSK 6
Not so much A as B with 与其说…不如说 — Chinese grammar (HSK 6)
与其说 + A，不如说 + B
与其说…不如说 (yǔqí shuō ... bùrú shuō) means "it is not so much A as B", correcting or refining a description. Unlike 与其…不如, which compares two actions to choose between, this pattern compares two ways of describing the same thing. The more accurate description comes second.
Examples
| 与其说他是老板，不如说他是大家的朋友。 Yǔqí shuō tā shì lǎobǎn, bùrú shuō tā shì dàjiā de péngyou. | He is not so much a boss as everyone's friend. | |
| 与其说这是运气，不如说是努力的结果。 Yǔqí shuō zhè shì yùnqi, bùrú shuō shì nǔlì de jiéguǒ. | This is less a matter of luck than the result of hard work. | |
| 与其说我在教他，不如说我们在互相学习。 Yǔqí shuō wǒ zài jiāo tā, bùrú shuō wǒmen zài hùxiāng xuéxí. | It is not so much that I teach him as that we learn from each other. |