---
title: "Ningyuan Meaning: 宁愿 (nìngyuàn) Means “would rather”"
description: "宁愿 (traditional 寧願, nìngyuàn) means “would rather; prefer to”. Hear its tones, see what 宁 and 愿 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ningyuan"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 宁愿 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

宁愿 nìngyuàn

## would rather; prefer to

## Its characters

1. 宁 nìng would rather (as in 宁可)
2. 愿 yuàn to wish

## In a sentence

我宁愿是一只鸟胜过一条鱼。 I'd rather be a bird than a fish.

[More about 宁愿](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%AE%81%E6%84%BF)

## More words with 宁 or 愿

- [宁静 níngjìng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ningjing)
- [宁可 nìngkě](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ningke)
- [心愿 xīnyuàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xinyuan)
- [愿望 yuànwàng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yuanwang)
- [愿意 yuànyì](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/yuanyi)
- [志愿者 zhìyuànzhě](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/zhiyuanzhe)

## Keep 宁愿 for Review

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