愿意
to be willing; willing
HSK level
- Pinyin
- yuànyì
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 3
- Strokes
- 27
- Register
- neutral
Stroke order for 愿意
愿意 is written with 27 strokes (愿: 14, 意: 13). The animation replays automatically.
What does 愿意 mean?
愿意 (yuànyì) is the Chinese verb for 'to be willing' — used to express genuine consent or readiness to do something.
It is a modal verb placed before the main verb: 我愿意帮你 ('I'm willing to help you'). The key distinction from English: 愿意 is about willingness from the heart, not capability (能 néng) or desire (想 xiǎng). 'I want to go' is 我想去; 'I can go' is 我能去; 'I'm willing to go' is 我愿意去 — the last implies you may not have wanted to, but you accept doing it. It is also the standard word in weddings (你愿意吗？ — 'Do you take...?'
). The negative 不愿意 ('unwilling') is strong — softer alternatives include 不太想 ('not really wanting to'). For polite refusals, native speakers rarely use 不愿意 because it sounds blunt; they say 不方便 ('inconvenient') or 算了吧 ('let's forget it').
Character by character
Memory hook: 'Wish + intention' — your wish and your intention both align, so you're willing.
Example sentences
我愿意帮你。
Wǒ yuànyì bāng nǐ.
I'm willing to help you.
spoken
你愿意跟我一起去吗？
Nǐ yuànyì gēn wǒ yìqǐ qù ma?
Are you willing to go with me?
spoken
他不愿意说为什么。
Tā bú yuànyì shuō wèishéme.
He's not willing to say why.
neutral
如果你愿意，我们明天再谈。
Rúguǒ nǐ yuànyì, wǒmen míngtiān zài tán.
If you're willing, we can talk again tomorrow.
neutral
我愿意。
Wǒ yuànyì.
I do.
spoken
Common phrases with 愿意
Synonyms
想 is 'want to' — about personal desire. 我想去 ('I want to go'). 愿意 is about consent / willingness, often despite not wanting to. You can be 愿意 without being 想.
肯 also means 'willing,' more colloquial and often used in the negative: 他不肯说 ('he refuses to say'). 愿意 is the neutral standard; 肯 highlights stubborn willingness or refusal.
Don't confuse 愿意 with
希望 means 'to hope' — about a future you wish for. 我希望你来 ('I hope you come'). 愿意 is about your own willingness to do something: 我愿意来 ('I'm willing to come').
愿望 is the noun 'wish / aspiration' — what you hope for. 我的愿望是... ('my wish is...'). 愿意 is the verb 'be willing,' a different word class.
Frequently asked questions
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