bù rú
not equal to
not as good as
inferior to
it would be better to
hái bù rú
to be better off ...
might as well ...
qín shòu bù rú
worse than a beast
to behave immorally
zì kuì bù rú
ashamed of being inferior (idiom)
to feel inferior to others
zì tàn bù rú
to consider oneself as being not as good as the others
rén suàn bù rú tiān suàn
God's plans supersede our own
Man proposes but God disposes
bǎi wén bù rú yī jiàn
seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times (idiom); seeing for oneself is better than hearing from many others
seeing is believing
zhū gǒu bù rú
worse than a dog or pig
lower than low
shòu rén yǐ yú bù rú shòu rén yǐ yú
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
knowledge is the best charity
yuǎn qīn bù rú jìn lín
A relative afar is less use than a close neighbor (idiom). Take whatever help is on hand, even from strangers.
lín yuān xiàn yú bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng
rather than admiring fish, go home and weave a net
lín yuān xiàn yú , bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng
better to return home and weave a net than stand by water and desire the fishes (idiom)
one should take practical steps to achieve one’s aims
it is vain to fish without a hook, or read without a book
gōng jìng bù rú cōng mìng
deference is no substitute for obedience (idiom); to follow sb's precepts is the sincerest form of respect
hǎo sǐ bù rú lài huó zhe
Better a bad life than a good death (idiom)
yán jiào bù rú shēn jiào
Explaining in words is not as good as teaching by example (idiom). Action speaks louder than words.
ěr wén bù rú mù jiàn
seeing sth for oneself is better than hearing about it from others
qǐng jiàng bù rú jī jiàng
lit. to dispatch a general is not as effective as to excite a general
fig. inciting people to action is more effective than dispatching orders
yào bǔ bù rú shí bǔ
the benefits of medicine are not as great as those of good nutrition
wén míng bù rú jiàn miàn
knowing sb by their reputation can't compare to meeting them in person (idiom)
qiú rén bù rú qiú jǐ
if you want sth done well, do it yourself (idiom)
shòu zhī yǐ yú bù rú shòu zhī yǐ yú
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime (idiom)
gōng jìng bù rú cóng mìng
deference is no substitute for obedience (idiom)
(said to accept sb's request, invitation etc)
qiǎo zhà bù rú zhuō chéng
the unvarnished truth is better than a cunning ruse (idiom)
honesty is the best policy
hǎo jì xìng bù rú làn bǐ tóu
the palest ink is better than the best memory (idiom)
duō yī shì bù rú shǎo yī shì
it is better to avoid unnecessary trouble (idiom)
the less complications the better
lái de zǎo bù rú lái de qiǎo
arriving early can't beat coming at the right time
perfect timing
bù rú rén yì
leaving much to be desired
unsatisfactory
undesirable
yī dài bù rú yī dài
to be getting worse with each generation
cháng tòng bù rú duǎn tòng
better to just get the pain over with, rather than prolong the agony
Spanish
French
German
Italian
Chinese
English
Example Usage
Grammar notes