想 (xiǎng) vs. 想要 ( xiǎng yào)
calkins
December 07, 2008, 01:58 PM posted in General DiscussionCan anyone provide some insight into the differences between 想 (xiǎng) and 想要 (xiǎng yào)?
I've been told (in Taiwan) that it's much better to use 想要 (xiǎng yào) when you "would like / want" something, and that 想 (xiǎng) doesn't really make a lot of sense on its own. But I see 想 often on CPod and other Mainland sources.
I've also been told that using 要 (yào) to ask for something in Taiwan is rude, and that you should always use 想要 (xiǎng yào).
Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks.
light487
December 08, 2008, 07:45 PMyeh.. it's a matter of "choice" or "no choice".. so if you "yao" someone then it could be impolite because you are not giving them a choice.. you are demanding something of them..
A child would say "我要！！“ ：） but more polite way would be "我想要。。”
I think that if you worried about being rude, just use 想要 :) If you don't care about them just say 要 :)
pearltowerpete
December 08, 2008, 04:31 AMHi changye
According to Jiaojie, no one would say 我想要去旅行. She said "it sounds very weird."
This may be a situation where there is not a hard-and-fast grammatical explanation.
changye
December 08, 2008, 05:36 AMHi pete,
Thanks for the unexpected answer, haha. I have always believed that "想要" would be also used in the sense of "would like to", and there are tons of phrase "我想要去～" on the Internet. Now let me ask another question. Under what circumstances can you use "我想要～" naturally in the sense of "would like to" ?
light487
December 08, 2008, 06:55 AMYeh.. I have been told by Taiwanese friends that you really only use "yao" by itself when it is something that you need to do and have no choice in it.. like going to work. And that they never use "xiang" by itself.
My "other learning course" that I learned a little from this year also reinforced the use of xiangyao instead of just xiang by itself. I just took it for granted that this was the "didao" way of saying it.. but.. because I learned "xiang" by itself first, I often mistakenly use it by itself.
calkins
December 08, 2008, 09:24 AMThanks Pete, Jiaojie, and Changye!
Based on your answers, it sounds like 想要 is used to say you "would like" something in a more polite way than saying you 要 "want" something or even 想 "want" something.
And that 想要 is only used when you want something, not when you want to do something. Then you would use 想 or 要.
对不对？
changye
December 08, 2008, 10:56 AMHi calkins,
It's very easy to find a song of which lyrics contain the word "想要" used in the sense of "would like to".
我想要飞
我张开迷茫的眼睛
世界是这样陌生
不觉中童年已走过
岁月之中 我已长大
我迈开蹒跚的脚步
踏上那人生旅程
春去秋来恍然而去
带走了我童年的梦
我想要飞 哪怕那翅膀会折断
我想要飞 哪怕那前方乌云密布
我想要飞 无论那路途多遥远
我想要飞 我想要飞
飞呀……飞呀……
飞呀……
--------------------------------------------------------
想要飞 （刘德华）
到底从什么时候起
我失去怕的权利
每次想要诉说我也脆弱
没有人听
你说知道我是谁
却看不见我有泪
也许总是要求自己坚强
是我不对
想要飞
带着一张最真的脸
放下拥有回到从前
看一看
一无所有那些岁月
我是否曾经
能快乐一点
飞 到 孤单边缘
和 心 靠近一些
看得更
------------------------------------------------------
想要飞 （王建杰）
如今的妳 后悔不通讲出嘴
如今的妳 后悔不通讲出嘴
想要越头 一切已经无了时
阮的记忆 亲像黑云贴天星
感情的事 拢是乎阮心伤悲
我袂冻来了解恨有多深
不由已心稀微
我袂冻来体会心伤多深
妳满腹的后悔
想要飞 想要离开咱的城市
甘讲是妳 已经无心做伙
想要飞 想要离开咱的城市
甘愿放弃 阮对妳的挽回
我袂冻来了解恨有多深
不由已心稀微
我袂冻来体会心伤多深
妳满腹的后悔
想要飞 想要离开咱的城市
甘讲是妳 已经无心做伙
想要飞 想要离开咱的城市
甘愿放弃 阮对妳的挽回
想要飞 想要离开咱的城市
甘讲是妳 已经无心做伙
想要飞 想要离开咱的城市
甘愿放弃 阮对妳的挽回
calkins
December 08, 2008, 11:15 AM:) Thanks changye...I think I am only going to use 想要 going forward, whether it's when I want something or want to do something.
changye
December 08, 2008, 03:05 AMHi pete,
Would you tell me the slight (?) difference between the following exmaples? Thanks!
(A) 我想去旅行。
(B) 我想要去旅行。
uoyevol
December 08, 2008, 11:27 AM想要means you desire something
想means you wish to do something
but in the lyrics of that songs,it's ok to say 想要飞.but in daily conversation people don't say that.
uoyevol
December 08, 2008, 11:34 AMand 要 means you want something or you want to do something.
if you go to a shop to buy something you can say 我要什么. you can also say that if the relationship between two people is very close.
but if you're a guest in some places or you need some help ,it's polite to say我想要什么 if you want something.
uoyevol
December 08, 2008, 11:39 AMoh my god,it's not easy to learn another language,
to the native speaker,they're quite familar with how and when to use the words.
sometimes they don't have to know why,they just know it.
but for the language learner it's necessary to know why,otherwise they cannot learn it.
calkins
December 08, 2008, 11:46 AMThis is interesting! Maybe I'm complicating things because I think Taiwan is a bit different from Mainland when using 要.
I've been told by a few people that ordering a cola, in Taiwan, with 要 is very impolite:
我要一瓶可乐。
But my understanding is that using 要 in that context in Mainland is perfectly acceptable.
So if you're in Taiwan, I think it's safer to use 想要 when you want something.
uoyevol
December 08, 2008, 11:55 AMyes, because you have to pay the money,it's no need to say 想要。
changye
December 08, 2008, 11:19 AMHi calkins,
Anyway, as far as Chinese concerns, the shorter the better. So, just saying "我想喝酒" might perhaps be better than intentionally saying "我想要喝酒", haha.
pearltowerpete
December 08, 2008, 02:52 AMHi calkins
Jiaojie helped me respond to your question.
It is OK to say
我要一杯杜松子酒 I want a glass of gin or
我想要一杯杜松子酒 I would like a glass of gin.
But your Taiwanese friends are right, 想要 is softer and more polite.
要 means 希望得到 , whereas 想 means 希望，打算.
Hope this is clear. If not, keep asking!