宁愿 nìngyuàn would rather ... (than ...)
How to remember 宁愿: 宁 calm + 愿 wish = would rather ... (than ...).
Characters
How it is used
- 'Would prefer to, would rather' - 我宁愿一个人待着 (wǒ nìngyuàn yí ge rén dāizhe) I'd rather be alone.
- Expresses a chosen preference, often with 也不 (yěbù) or 也要 (yěyào) marking the trade-off.
- Interchangeable with 宁可 in most cases; 宁愿 foregrounds personal willingness/desire.
Example sentences
- 他宁愿不吃这个。 Tā nìngyuàn bùchī zhège.He'd prefer not to eat that.
- 我宁愿避免这种事。 Wǒ nìngyuàn bìmiǎn zhèzhǒng shì.I'd rather avoid it.
- 与其让我在他手下干，我宁愿辞职。 Yǔqí ràng wǒ zài tā shǒuxià gàn, wǒ nìngyuàn cízhí.I would rather quit than work under him.