| 不如 | bù rú | not equal to; not as good as; inferior to; it would be better to |
| 人算不如天算 | rén suàn bù rú tiān suàn | God's plans supercede our own; Man proposes but God disposes |
| 好死不如赖活着 | hǎo sǐ bù rú lài huó zhe | Better a bad life than a good death (idiom) |
| 恭敬不如从命 | gōng jìng bù rú cōng mìng | deference is no substitute for obedience (idiom); to follow sb's precepts is the sincerest form of respect |
授人以鱼不如授人
以渔 | 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 |
| 百闻不如一见 | 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 |
| 禽兽不如 | qín shòu bù rú | worse than a beast; to behave immorally |
| 耳闻不如目见 | ěr wén bù rú mù jiàn | seeing sth for oneself is better than hearing about it from others |
临渊羡鱼不如退而
结网 | lín yuān xiàn yú bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng | rather than admiring fish, go home and weave a net |
临渊羡鱼，
不如退而结网 | lín yuān xiàn yú ,
bù rú tuì ér jié wǎng | better to go home and weave a net, than to stand by the pond and covet fish (idiom) |
| 自叹不如 | zì tàn bù rú | to consider oneself as being not as good as the others |
| 自愧不如 | zì kuì bù rú | ashamed of being inferior (idiom); to feel inferior to others |
| 言教不如身教 | yán jiào bù rú shēn jiào | Explaining in words is not as good as teaching by example (idiom). Action speaks louder than words. |
| 请将不如激将 | 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 |
| 猪狗不如 | zhū gǒu bù rú | worse than a dog or pig; lower than low |
| 远亲不如近邻 | 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. |
| 还不如 | hái bù rú | to be better off...; might as well... |
