would rather; prefer to
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesadverb
would rather; would prefer to
Often used in the structure "宁愿...也(不)..." (would rather... than...), "宁愿...也要..." (would rather... in order to...). It expresses a choice made despite potential costs.
Wǒ我
nìng宁
yuàn愿
zǒu走
lù路
，
yě也
bù不
xiǎng想
jǐ挤
gōng公
jiāo交
chē车
。
I would rather walk than squeeze onto a bus.
Tā他
nìng宁
yuàn愿
shǎo少
zhuàn赚
qián钱
，
yě也
yào要
péi陪
bàn伴
jiā家
rén人
。
He would rather earn less money in order to spend time with his family.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Wèi为
le了
yuán原
zé则
，
tā他
nìng宁
yuàn愿
cí辞
zhí职
yě也
bù不
tuǒ妥
xié协
。
For the sake of principle, he would rather resign than compromise.