Chinese Grammar Reference logo

    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'to be willing' with 愿 (yuàn)

    Wishes & Desires

    Structure

    Subject + 愿 + Verb

    Explanation

    愿 (yuàn) means "to be willing" or "to wish" and expresses a person's willingness or desire to do something. It is often used in literary or formal contexts and frequently appears in negative form as 不愿 (unwilling to). Common patterns include 愿意 (willing) and 不愿放弃 (unwilling to give up).

    Examples

    • 她不愿离开家乡，决定留下来照顾父母。

      Tā bú yuàn líkāi jiāxiāng, juédìng liú xiàlái zhàogù fùmǔ.

      She didn't want to leave her hometown and decided to stay and take care of her parents.

    • 我愿为这个项目多花点时间，把它做好。

      Wǒ yuàn wèi zhège xiàngmù duō huā diǎn shíjiān, bǎ tā zuò hǎo.

      I'm willing to spend more time on this project to do it well.

    • 他始终不愿承认自己犯了错。

      Tā shǐzhōng bú yuàn chéngrèn zìjǐ fàn le cuò.

      He has always been unwilling to admit that he made a mistake.

    Similar Grammar

    Expressing 'to be willing' with 愿 (yuàn) | Chinese Grammar