3 · Modal verbs
Willing, daring, agreeing: yuànyì, gǎn and kěn
willingness and courage
Yuànyì is being willing, gǎn having the nerve, and kěn agreeing to do what you were asked.
愿意 is “be willing to, be glad to”, from your own inclination: 我愿意帮你, “I’m happy to help you”. It takes 很 and 不 like an adjective, and it is the word for “I do” at a wedding: 我愿意.
敢 is “dare, have the nerve to”. English “dare” sounds a little old-fashioned; 敢 is everyday Chinese, and above all in the negative: 我不敢告诉他, “I’m scared to tell him”. In a question it is often a challenge: 你敢吃吗, “would you dare eat it?”.
肯 is “agree to, be prepared to”, usually after some reluctance or when somebody has been asked: 他终于肯说了, “he finally agreed to talk”. 不肯 is “refuse”: 孩子不肯睡觉, “the child won’t go to sleep”.
This is where English “won’t” causes trouble. “He won’t help” as a refusal is 他不肯帮忙. 他不会帮忙 is either a prediction — “he isn’t going to help” — or a statement that he does not know how.
The form
| willing | 我愿意帮你。 |
| not willing | 他不愿意去。 |
| dare (question) | 你敢跳吗？ |
| too scared to | 我不敢告诉他。 |
| refuse | 孩子不肯睡觉。 |
| finally agree | 他终于肯说了。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
愿意: willing or glad to, because you want to.
你愿意跟我一起去吗？Would you like to come with me?
敢: to have the nerve; mostly heard as 不敢, “too scared to”.
我怕高，不敢坐过山车。I’m afraid of heights, so I don’t dare go on roller coasters.
肯: to agree to do something, usually after reluctance; 不肯 is “refuse”.
我问了他好几次，他就是不肯说。I asked him several times, but he just would not say.
All three can stand alone as a short answer.
你愿意吗？——愿意。Are you willing? — Yes, I am.
A closer look
Three set phrases
我愿意 is what bride and groom say at a wedding, “I do” — the whole sentence is a statement of willingness, which is exactly what the word means.
敢 turns up in a challenge, 你敢不敢, “do you dare or not?”, and in the modest reply 不敢当, “I don’t deserve that”, said to praise. 肯 lives mostly in 不肯 and in sentences with 才 or 终于, “only then”, “at last”, because its point is that agreement was slow to come.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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somebody praises or thanks you warmly and you answer 不敢当
it means “I don’t deserve it”, not that you are afraid of anything.
您太客气了，不敢当。You are too kind — I really don’t deserve that.
It is a fixed phrase of modesty: the speaker “does not dare to accept” the honour.
How to spot it
- 愿意
- 敢
- 不敢
- 肯
- 不肯
Example sentences
我很愿意参加这个活动。I’d be very glad to take part in this event.
他不愿意住在大城市。He doesn’t want to live in a big city.
这么晚了，我不敢一个人回家。It’s so late I’m scared to go home on my own.
你敢跟老板说吗？Would you dare to tell the boss?
孩子生病了，可是不肯吃药。The child is ill but refuses to take the medicine.
我求了他半天，他才肯帮我。I had to beg him for ages before he agreed to help me.
7 more example sentences
如果你愿意，周末可以来我家玩。If you like, you can come over to my place at the weekend.
没有人愿意做这份工作。Nobody wants to do this job.
他第一次出国，连话都不敢说。The first time he went abroad, he didn’t even dare to speak.
这种鱼你敢吃吗？Would you dare eat this kind of fish?
他从来不肯承认自己错了。He never admits he was wrong.
老板肯给我们放三天假吗？Will the boss agree to give us three days off?
我不敢相信这是真的。I can hardly believe this is true.
Worth knowing (1)
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Kěn and yuànyì side by side
愿意 tells you about a wish; 肯 tells you whether somebody gives in. 他不愿意去: he would rather not go. 他不肯去: he refuses to go, however much he is asked.
妈妈说了很久，他才肯去看医生。His mother had to talk to him for a long time before he agreed to see a doctor.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
“He wouldn’t” is a refusal, and English speakers reach for 不会 because it looks like “won’t”. But 会 is a skill or a prediction, so the first sentence says he did not know how. A refusal is 不肯.
Yuànyì: you want to. Gǎn: you dare to. Kěn: you finally agree to.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.