宁愿

• Pinyin: nìng yuàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 宁 = 宀 (roof) + 心 (heart) — a settled heart, hence 'prefer'; 愿 = 原 (origin/source) + 心 (heart) — what the heart genuinely wishes for

Meaning

Would rather; prefer to. Expresses a willingness to choose one option over another, often despite inconvenience.

Functionally similar to 宁可, both meaning 'would rather.' 宁愿 tends to feel slightly more personal and emotionally weighted, often expressing genuine personal preference: 宁愿一个人待着 (prefer to be alone). Used in 宁愿A也不B or 宁愿A而不B structures. 宁可 is often more about principled choice or sacrifice; 宁愿 more about personal inclination or feeling. In practice, many speakers use them interchangeably.

Examples

1. 比起热闹的派对，她宁愿独自窝在家里读一本好书，享受属于自己的宁静时光。 Compared with a lively party, she’d rather curl up at home alone with a good book and enjoy some quiet time to herself.
2. 面对导演提出的修改要求，这位作家宁愿撤回剧本，也不愿将自己的创作初衷改得面目全非。 Faced with the director’s requested revisions, the writer would rather withdraw the script than change the original intent beyond recognition.
3. 他宁愿步行四十分钟上班，也不愿每天挤在拥挤的地铁里消耗精力与耐心。 He would rather walk forty minutes to work than squeeze onto a crowded subway every day and drain his energy and patience.

Usage Guide

Context: decision-making, personal preference, values

Tone: reflective

Do Say

• 他宁愿在一家小公司做自己热爱的工作，也不愿为了高薪而在大企业里做一颗随时可以被替换的螺丝钉。(He would rather do work he loves at a small company than be a replaceable cog in a large corporation for the sake of a high salary.)
• 这位医生宁愿牺牲休假时间留在山区卫生所，也要确保每一位患者在节假日期间都能得到及时的医疗救治。(This doctor would rather sacrifice her holiday time to remain at the rural health clinic and ensure that every patient could receive timely medical care during the holidays.)

Don't Say

• 将'宁愿'与'希望'混用 — 宁愿 expresses a preference between two options, implying a trade-off; 希望 expresses a wish or hope without a contrasting choice; they are not interchangeable

Origin & History

宁 (prefer/rather) + 愿 (wish/willing) — to be willing to choose one thing over another

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal