宁肯 (nìng kěn) — would rather; would prefer to (used to indicate a choice between two alternatives, often with 也不 in the second clause)
Definition
宁肯 (nìng kěn) is a written-form adverb meaning 'would rather,' used in a paired construction: 宁肯…也不… ('would rather X than Y'). Stronger and more literary than the spoken 宁可, and used in formal writing rather than everyday speech.
adverb
would ratherwould prefer to (used to indicate a choice between two alternatives, often with 也不 in the second clause)
Examples
- 宁肯，。Tā nìng kěn zì jǐ chī kuī, yě bú ràng bié rén shòu wěi qu.He would rather suffer a loss himself than let others be wronged.
- 宁肯，。Wǒ nìng kěn duō zǒu yí duàn lù, yě bú zuò nà me jǐ de gōng jiāo chē.I would rather walk a bit farther than take such a crowded bus.
- 宁肯，。Tā nìng kěn fàng qì zhè cì jī huì, yě bú yuàn yì shuō huǎng.She would rather give up this opportunity than tell a lie.
Appears in
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