宁可…也不/也要…: would rather… than…
复句 / complex sentences
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
宁可 (or 宁愿) expresses a hard choice: you accept a painful option to avoid something worse or reach a goal.
• 宁可 A，也不 B: "I'd rather A than B" (flatly refusing B).
• 宁可 A，也要 B: "even at the cost of A, I want B" (A is the accepted sacrifice).
Unlike 与其…不如…, the chosen option comes first. The tone is resolute, often moral: 宁可站着死，也不跪着生 (better to die standing than live on your knees).
Examples
我宁可走路回家，也不坐他的车。
Wǒ nìngkě zǒulù huí jiā, yě bú zuò tā de chē.I'd rather walk home than ride in his car.
她宁可少睡几个小时，也要把这本小说读完。
Tā nìngkě shǎo shuì jǐ ge xiǎoshí, yě yào bǎ zhè běn xiǎoshuō dú wán.She'd sacrifice a few hours of sleep to finish this novel.
老人宁愿住在老房子里，也不愿意搬到城里。
Lǎorén nìngyuàn zhù zài lǎo fángzi lǐ, yě bú yuànyì bān dào chéng lǐ.The old man would rather live in his old house than move to the city.
Common mistakes
✗ 宁可…不如… → ✓ 宁可…也不… (don't mix the two patterns).
✗ 宁可 + something pleasant: 宁可 implies A is a sacrifice; for a simple preference say 我更想….