宁愿

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

Significado

preferir; más bien; preferiría

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.

Ejemplos

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。
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。
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。

Guía de uso

Contexto: decision-making, personal preference, values

Tono: reflective

Correcto

• 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.)

Incorrecto

• 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

Origen e historia

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

Contexto cultural

Generación: All ages

Contexto social: Universal