宁愿 (nìng yuàn) — would rather (used to express preference, often… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

宁愿 (nìng yuàn) means 'would rather,' used to express a clear preference, often in 宁愿…也不… ('would rather… than…'). It is more emphatic than 情愿, which leans toward 'being willing' as a verb.

adverb

would rather (used to express preference, often in the patterns 宁愿...也不... or 宁愿...还是...?)

Examples

宁愿。
Wǒ nìng yuàn dāi zài jiā lǐ yě bú qù cān jiā nà ge jù huì.
I would rather stay home than go to that party.
宁愿？
Nǐ nìng yuàn hē chá hái shì kā fēi?
Would you rather drink tea or coffee?
宁愿。
Tā nìng yuàn zì jǐ zuò fàn yě bú jiào wài mài.
He would rather cook himself than order takeout.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

愿yuànwish/willing

宁 expresses preference, and 愿 adds the sense of willingness.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 寧; 宁 is its simplified writing.

宀宀miánhouse
皿皿mǐnfood or wine vessel
丂丂kǎotable (?)

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

原心愿

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

原

原yuán愿yuàn

Same sound today

愿 places 心 (heart) below 原, which supplies the sound yuán; the 心 part marks the sense of heart or feeling.

Grammar

Full explanation →

Appears in

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