宁愿
Old HSK 6
宁愿 (nìngyuàn) · would rather
宁愿 (nìngyuàn) means “would rather”. It is written with 2 characters: 宁 (calm) + 愿 (desire). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).
How 宁愿 is built
The characters
宁 níng · calm
What 宁 is made of
- 宀 — roof
- 丶 — dot
- 冖mì — cover
- 丁dīng — male adult
Origin hint: 宀 gives the meaning, 丁 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
愿 yuàn · desire
What 愿 is made of
- 原yuán — source
- 厂chǎng — cliff
- 泉quán — spring
- 心xīn — heart
Origin hint: 心 gives the meaning, 原 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
我宁愿在家看书，也不想出去。Wǒ nìngyuàn zài jiā kànshū, yě bùxiǎng chūqu.I'd rather read at home than go out.
她宁愿自己累一点儿，也不麻烦别人。Tā nìngyuàn zìjǐ lèi yìdiǎnr, yě bù máfan biérén.She'd rather tire herself out a little than trouble others.
Questions about 宁愿
What does 宁愿 mean?
宁愿 (nìngyuàn) means “would rather”.
How do you pronounce 宁愿?
宁愿 is pronounced nìngyuàn.
Which HSK level is 宁愿?
宁愿 is in Old HSK 6.
Related words
- 宁静níngjìngpeaceful
- 宁可nìngkěwould rather
- 安宁ānníngpeaceful
- 宁肯nìngkěnwould rather
- 愿意yuànyìto be willing
- 愿望yuànwàngwish
- 志愿zhìyuànwish
- 志愿者zhìyuànzhěvolunteer
- 自愿zìyuànvoluntary
- 心甘情愿xīngānqíngyuànwillingly
Learn 宁愿 with its group
It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 132: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.