Now comes news of a nasty noodle meltdown. It is less a sign that China’s long consumer boom is waning than that Chinese tastes are changing.

【翻译】现在有消息称，垃圾食品方便面销量暴跌。这不是中国长期的消费热潮正在衰退的迹象，而是中国人的口味正在发生改变（的迹象）。

【分析】不能孤立看待粗体部分，应该结合整个句子分析。

1. 从整个句子来看，that China’s long consumer boom is waning than that Chinese tastes are changing 是主语从句，it 是形式主语。

2. 为理解方便，去掉it，转换如下：

That China’s long consumer boom is wanin is less a sign than that Chinese tastes are changing. （注：蓝色部分是进行比较的两个并列成分）

3. more...than...或less...than... 结构，也可叫作“取舍结构”。所谓“取舍”，就是“肯定否定”，“取”意味着肯定；“舍”意味着否定。具体说：在more...than...结构中，than前的部分是“取”，than后的部分是“舍”。 在less...than...结构中，than 前的部分是“舍”，than后的部分是“取”。在翻译理解时，more A than B（A和B分别代表两个平行并列的成分），可以按照下面的翻译去理解：

1. 是A，不是B

2. 与其是B，倒不如是A

关于less A than B结构的翻译，则是more A than B的反面。

1. 是B，不是A

2. 与其是A，倒不如是B

▲ more A than B 举例：

Tom is more foolish than stupid. 与其说汤姆笨，倒不如说他傻。

She is more a writer than a scholar. 与其说她是学者，不如说她是作家。

She is more like a student than a teacher. 她像一个学生，而不像老师。

They say it is more a comedy than a war movie. 听说这是一部喜剧片而不是战争影片。

It is more like a children's game than a real issue of life and death. 这与其说是真正的生死搏斗，不如说更象一场儿戏。

What we have got here is more like a quarrel than a debate. 这里的样子不像在讨论而像是在吵架。

▲less A than B 举例：

It was less a reform than a transfiguration. 这与其说是洗心革面，不如说是改头换面。

What he said seemed to me less a religion than a set of useful principles for living. 对我来说，他说的更像是一套实用生活法则，而非宗教理论。

Pursuing a dream job is less a leap than a series of incremental steps that move you closer to your goal. 追求理想工作与其说是跳槽，不如说是一系列让你接近目标的循序渐进的步骤。

【说明】以上例句都是发生在表语之间的比较，问题中的例句则是主语之间的比较，特此说明。请对照：

Tom is more foolish than stupid. 

That China’s long consumer boom is waning is less a sign than that Chinese tastes are changing.