寧可當隻老虎活一天，也不願當隻兔子過一百年。

Rather than live a hundred years as a rabbit, live one day as a tiger.

Source: Tatoeba

Sentence Composition

1 寧可 nìngkě
  1. preferably
  2. one would prefer to...(or not to...)
  3. would rather
  4. (would) be better to
  5. (to pick) the lesser of two evils
=2 當 dāng
  1. to be
  2. to act as
  3. manage
  4. withstand
  5. when
  6. during
  7. ought
  8. should
  9. match equally
  10. equal
  11. same
  12. obstruct
  13. just at (a time or place)
  14. on the spot
  15. right
  16. just at
=2 當 dàng
  1. at or in the very same...
  2. suitable
  3. adequate
  4. fitting
  5. proper
  6. to replace
  7. to regard as
  8. to think
  9. to pawn
  10. (coll.) to fail (a student)
3 隻 zhī classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc
4 老虎 lǎohǔ tiger

classifier: 隻
5 活 huó
  1. to live
  2. alive
  3. living
  4. work
  5. workmanship
6 一天 yītiān
  1. (colloquial) the whole day
  2. one day (twenty-four hours)
  3. someday; one day
  4. the entire daytime of one day
  5. the whole day
7 也不 yěbù
  1. neither
  2. nor
8 願 yuàn
  1. (bound form) wish; hope; desire
  2. to be willing
  3. to wish (that sth may happen); may ...
  4. vow; pledge
=9 當 dāng
  1. to be
  2. to act as
  3. manage
  4. withstand
  5. when
  6. during
  7. ought
  8. should
  9. match equally
  10. equal
  11. same
  12. obstruct
  13. just at (a time or place)
  14. on the spot
  15. right
  16. just at
=9 當 dàng
  1. at or in the very same...
  2. suitable
  3. adequate
  4. fitting
  5. proper
  6. to replace
  7. to regard as
  8. to think
  9. to pawn
  10. (coll.) to fail (a student)
10 隻 zhī classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc
11 兔子 tùzi
  1. hare
  2. rabbit

classifier: 隻
=12 過 Guō surname Guo
=12 過 guò
  1. to cross
  2. to go over
  3. to pass (time)
  4. to celebrate (a holiday)
  5. to live
  6. to get along
  7. excessively
  8. too-
=12 過 guo (experienced action marker)
13 一百 yībǎi one hundred; a hundred
=14 年 Nián surname Nian
=14 年 nián year

classifier: 個
=14 年 nián
  1. grain
  2. harvest (old)
  3. variant of 年 nián