坠
zhuì
To fall, to hang down
宁愿 (nìng yuàn) — how to say "would rather" in Chinese
宁愿
Would rather; prefer to
modal adverb
How to use it
Goes before the verb and shows the speaker's attitude.
她宁愿一个人去。
tā nìng yuàn yī gè rén qù
She'd rather go alone.
Character composition
宁
peaceful, tranquil
愿
to wish, to desire
Radicals / Keys
宀
Roof
#40 · mián · 3 strokes
心
Heart
#61 · xīn · 4 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
宁愿放弃
nìng yuàn fàng qì
would rather give up
宁愿等待
nìng yuàn děng dài
would rather wait
宁愿相信
nìng yuàn xiāng xìn
would rather believe
Examples
我宁愿自己辛苦一点，也不想麻烦别人。
I would rather endure a little hardship myself than trouble others.
我宁愿在家。
I would rather stay at home.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "would rather" in Chinese?
"would rather" in Chinese is 宁愿 (nìng yuàn).
What does 宁愿 mean in English?
宁愿 (nìng yuàn) means "Would rather; prefer to".
How is 宁愿 pronounced?
It is pronounced nìng yuàn (written as ning yuan, ningyuan). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "would rather" in Chinese characters?
It is written 宁愿.
What HSK level is 宁愿?
宁愿 belongs to the HSK 6 vocabulary list.
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