It is a question of pride as much as anything else.
要理解这句话，首先要搞明白pride在这里的翻译，pride一词表示“尊严”，当我们谈及it's a question of pride时，往往指这是尊严的问题，实际上，pride也可以翻为面子。
根据课文里的内容，pride在课文里翻成“面子”更好，原文的译文也是这么做的。只是，书上的译文“主要原因是面子的问题”，其中的“主要原因”又从哪里翻出来的呢？
没错，就是as much as anything else, 这其实是一个固定表达，有时也直接写成as much as anything, 字面意思是指某事物与其他的（重要）事物一样多（重要），说明某事物是非常重要的。
people use this expression to talk about the main reason or factor that affects one situation.
简单说，这个短语就是表示影响一件事情的主要原因。例如：
当你购买某种东西的时候，你需要好好考虑它的质量，这是很重要的。
When you buy something, you need to consider its quality as much as anything else.
再翻一个句子：
他感觉无精打采的，缺觉是主要原因。
我们可以先这个翻译：He felt droopy. It was the lack of sleep that was the main reaon.
droopy一词表示一个人蔫蔫的，没有精气神。后面这句it was the lack of sleep that was the main reason, 实际上运用了 it was... that...的强调句型，将The lack of sleep was the main reason这句中的主语the lack of sleep放在it was... that...的句型中进行强调。现在我们可以尝试用as much as anything else 来直接代替 that was the main reason，这样这个句子可以写成：
He felt droopy. It was the lack of sleep as much as anything else.
当我们学习一个短语时，最重要的是学会用它。要用会它的关键，是一定要让它与通俗易懂的某个短语或片段建立起联系。这里，...that is the main reason=as much as anything else.
因此，当我们表达“...的主要原因”时，要记得使用it is ... as much as anything else这个句式了。
此除之外，再讲讲和as much as anything else在外形上非常接近的另一个表达：not as/so much A as B,它的含义是“与其说是A，不如说是B"，例如：
与其说他们是朋友，不如说他们是情侣。
They are not so much friends as lovers.
在很多情况之下，与其说教书是一项工作，不如说是一种生活方式。
In many cases, teaching is not as much a job as a way of life.
