Grammar Info
N1 Lesson 10: 5/22

に引（ひ）き換（か）え
In stark contrast, In comparison, On the other hand, While, In sharp contrast

Structure
Noun＋にひきかえ
［な］Adjective＋な・である＋の＋にひきかえ
［い］Adjective＋の＋にひきかえ
Verb＋の＋にひきかえ
Phrase (A)。それにひきかえ、Noun は＋Phrase (B)
Structure Legend  
Details
Register Standard
使用域 一般
Information
  • (A) にひきかえ (B) is used to contrast two things/people/animals and so on subjectively. The speaker considers (A) and (B) to be complete opposites and evaluates one of them positively (usually A) and the other negatively (usually B).
  • The それにひきかえ pattern is the most common.
  • にひきかえ is used with factual clauses, so it is generally not used with expressions of conjecture like かもしれない and the like.
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母親（ははおや）の友達（ともだち）の息子（むすこ）さんは、弁護士（べんごし）として立派（りっぱ）に働（はたら）いているのにひきかえ、僕（ぼく）は・・・（まだフリーターだ）。
In stark contrast to my mother's friend's son, who is working prominently as a lawyer, I am… (still a permanent part-timer.)
Notice that since one side of the comparison is evaluated positively, and the other negatively, the comment/description can be omitted and the reader/interlocutor will get the intended meaning from the context
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    • 姉（あね）は積極的（せっきょくてき）で活発（かっぱつ）な性格（せいかく）にひきかえ、弟（おとうと）の健太郎（けんたろう）はとても無気力（むきりょく）だ。
    In stark contrast to the elder sister's lively personality, the younger brother, Kentaro, is very apathetic.
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    • 兄（あに）は優秀（ゆうしゅう）な成績（せいせき）をおさめている。それにひきかえ妹（いもうと）の方（ほう）は遊（あそ）んでばかりだ。
    The elder brother has excellent grades. In stark contrast to that, the younger sister is just mucking around.
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