Chinese word

宁愿

Pronunciation

Pinyinnìng yuàn

Meaning

  • adverbwould rather

Example

我宁愿自己做，也不麻烦别人。wǒ nìng yuàn zì jǐ zuò yě bù má fán bié rén

I would rather do it myself than trouble others.

Illustration for 宁愿 (would rather)

More examples

她宁愿忍受痛苦，也不放弃梦想。tā nìng yuàn rěn shòu tòng kǔ yě bú fàng qì mèng xiǎng

She would rather endure pain than give up her dream.

Core concept

A choice of the bearable option to avoid an alternative that feels worse.

Common phrases

  • 宁愿忍受nìng yuàn rěn shòu

    would rather endure

  • 宁愿冒险nìng yuàn mào xiǎn

    would rather take a risk

  • 宁愿……也要……nìng yuàn yě yào

    would rather ___ than ___

Similar words

宁可nìng kě: Choosing an unfavorable option deliberately to avoid a more serious problem.
宁肯nìng kěn: Willingly enduring hardship or loss to carry out a chosen action.
情愿qíng yuàn: Showing a strong willingness to do something by personal choice.

Definition in Chinese

作副词，表示宁可选择某种不太好但可接受的情况，也不接受另一种更不能接受的情况，语气常带有无奈或强调。zuò fù cí biǎo shì nìng kě xuǎn zé móu zhǒng bú tài hǎo dàn kě jiē shòu de qíng kuàng yě bù jiē shòu lìng yì zhǒng gèng bù néng jiē shòu de qíng kuàng yǔ qì cháng dài yǒu wú nài huò qiáng diào

Word origin

宁 (nìng, "rather") + 愿 (yuàn, "be willing") combines a comparative choice with willingness, forming an expression for accepting one option instead of a less acceptable one.

Usage tips

  • The word often appears in a paired contrast pattern that names the chosen action first and rejects the alternative second, which makes it stronger than a casual statement of preference.

Word lists with this word