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How to say “would rather” in Chinese with 宁可 (nìngkě)

宁可 (nìngkě) / 宁愿 (nìngyuàn) + A, 也不 (yě bù) + B

Expressing "would rather" with "宁可 (níng kě) (nìngkě)"

HSK 5Sentence Patterns

Rule structure

宁可 (níng kě) (nìngkě) or 宁愿 (níng yuàn) (nìngyuàn) expresses strong preference. With 也不 (yě bù), the pattern means “would rather A than B” and emphasizes rejection of the second option.

Examples

我宁可饿死，也不吃这个。

Wǒ nìngkě è sǐ, yě bù chī zhège.

I would rather starve than eat this.

Practice

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Frequently asked questions

How do you express “Expressing "would rather" with "宁可 (nìngkě)"” in Chinese?

Use the structure: 宁可 (nìngkě) / 宁愿 (nìngyuàn) + A, 也不 (yě bù) + B. For example: 我宁可饿死，也不吃这个。 — “I would rather starve than eat this.”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

我宁可饿死，也不吃这个。 — “I would rather starve than eat this.”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 5.

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