nìng
would rather
to prefer
how (emphatic)
Taiwan pr. [ning2]
nìng kě
preferably
one would prefer to...(or not to...)
would rather
(would) be better to
(to pick) the lesser of two evils
qíng yuàn
willingness
would rather (agree to X than Y)
nìng kěn
would rather...
it would be better...
would prefer
shéi zhī dào
God knows...
Who would have imagined...?
bù rú
not equal to
not as good as
inferior to
it would be better to
lì bù cóng xīn
less capable than desirable (idiom); not as strong as one would wish
the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
piān piān
(indicates that sth turns out just the opposite of what one would wish) unfortunately
as it happened
(indicates that sth is the opposite of what would be normal or reasonable) stubbornly
contrarily
against reason
(indicates that sb or a group is singled out) precisely
only
of all people
kàn shang qu
it would appear
it seems (that)
shuí zhī
lit. who knows
who would have thought
unexpectedly
unpredictably
bù qiǎo
too bad
unfortunately
as luck would have it
nǎ zhī
who would have imagined?
unexpectedly
Kāng Yǒu wéi
Kang Youwei (1858-1927), Confucian intellectual, educator and would-be reformer, main leader of the failed reform movement of 1898
Jīng Kē
Jing Ke (-227 BC), celebrated in verse and fiction as would-be assassin of King Ying Zheng of Qin 秦嬴政 (later the First Emperor 秦始皇)
fèi shén
to spend effort
to take trouble
May I trouble you to...? (as part of polite request)
Please would you mind...?
jǐ suǒ bù yù , wù shī yú rén
What you don't want done to you, don't do to others. (idiom, from the Confucian analects)
Do as you would be done by.
Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.
nìng quē wú làn
better to have nothing (than substandard choice) (idiom); would prefer to go without than accept shoddy option
ài mò néng zhù
unable to help however much one would like to (idiom); Although we sympathize, there is no way to help you.
My hands are tied.
shě shēng qǔ yì
to give up life for righteousness (idiom, from Mencius); to choose honor over life
would rather sacrifice one's life than one's principles
zǎo zhī jīn rì hè bì dāng chū
if I (you, she, he...) had known it would come to this, I (you, she, he...) would not have acted thus (idiom)
to regret vainly one's past behaviour
qiū háo wú fàn
lit. not harming a new feather (idiom); not commit the slightest offense against the people (of soldiers)
would not hurt a fly
què zhī bù gōng
to refuse would be impolite
wǒ zuì yù mián
lit. I'm drunk and would like to sleep (idiom)
(used to indicate one's sincere and straightforward nature)
jìng ruò shén míng
to hold sb in the same regard as one would a god (idiom)
yǒu yì zāi huā huā bù fā , wú xīn chā liǔ liǔ chéng yīn
lit. you plant a garden and the flowers do not bloom, you poke a stick in the mud and it grows into a tree
fig. things do not always turn out as one would expect
well-laid plans may fail, and success may come where you least expect it
méi guī bù guǎn jiào shá míng
A rose by any other name (would smell as sweet)
méi guī bù guǎn jiào shá míng , wén qǐ lai zǒng shì xiāng de
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet
shì wù de běn zhì chóng yú wài zài
essence is more important than external appearance
a rose by any other name would smell as sweet
bù jīng yī fān fēng shuāng kǔ , nán dé là méi tǔ qīng xiāng
Without once passing through the winter's cold and wind, where would the sweet spring fragrance come from?
shāo xián
more than one would wish
somewhat
a bit too (old, contrived, distracting etc)
lè jiàn qí chéng
to look favorably on sth
would be glad see it happen
lè guān qí chéng
to look favorably on sth
would be glad to see it happen
shì dé qí suǒ
exactly what one would wish
to find one's niche
jǐn dìng
would like to invite (epistolary style)
guǐ cái xìn
who would believe it!
what rubbish!
jǐ suǒ bù yù , wù shī yú rén
What you don't want done to you, don't do to others. (idiom, from the Confucian analects)
Do as you would be done by.
Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.
shì wèn
I would like to ask (usually used rhetorically)
one might well ask
Běi jīng ké
"Beijing cough", respiratory problems caused by dry and polluted Beijing air, typically experienced by non-acclimated foreigners who would otherwise have no such problems
shí zhī wú wèi , qì zhī kě xī
lit. to be hardly worth eating, but it would still be a pity to discard it (idiom)
fig. some things have little to no value, yet one is still reluctant to part with them
wú nìng
not as good as
would rather
zǎo zhī jīn rì hé bì dāng chū
if I (you, she, he...) had known it would come to this, I (you, she, he...) would not have acted thus (idiom)
to regret vainly one's past behavior
hǔ fú
tiger tally (a two-piece object made in the shape of a tiger, used in ancient China as proof of authority. One half of a tally could be issued to a military officer and this would be matched with the other half when verification was required.)
shéi zhī
lit. who knows
who would have thought
unexpectedly
unpredictably
hái nú
"a slave to one's children", hard-working parents who would do everything to ensure their children's well-being, in disregard of their own needs
Wǔ dài
Five Dynasties, period of history between the fall of the Tang dynasty (907) and the founding of the Song dynasty (960), when five would-be dynasties were established in quick succession in North China
shú liào
who would have thought?
who could have imagined?
unexpectedly
nìng zuò jī tóu , bù zuò fèng wěi
lit. would rather be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail (idiom)
fig. to prefer to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond
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