第二年第二百三十三天

[nnozomi]

语法
不如 + (S) + V "might as well do X" (bottom of page)
https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Comparisons_with_%22buru%22

词汇
弄, get/make (pinyin in tags)
https://mandarinbean.com/new-hsk-2-word-list/
and if you understand how this ubiquitous word is actually used, you're one up on me.

Guardian:
你要是真的想报恩的话，还不如加入我们特调处呢, if you really want to make good on what you owe, why not join our SID
不如再等等，等研发更成熟了, better wait a little longer, until the research results develop
怎么好好的一条蛇弄得跟人类似的, how can a decent snake act like a human?

Me:
没办法，不如活着。
我弄丢了眼镜。

Comments

[grayswandir]

and if you understand how this ubiquitous word is actually used, you're one up on me.

I learned it as "to play with/to mess with" and didn't even know it had those other meanings! Or that it was ubiquitous. I don't think it's used in spoken Cantonese, though I do see it in subtitles and other places. Good to know it has more possible meanings than I thought.

[nnozomi]

I learned it as "to play with/to mess with" and didn't even know it had those other meanings!
I've seen this too, but I still don't have a sense of how it's used in either (any) sense. I suppose one ought just to collect all the sample sentences available (in dramas etc. as well as grammar sites) and try to work it out from a large collection of examples...