Comparing “要” and “想” in Chinese

Both 要 (yào) and 想 (xiǎng) can mean "want," but they're used in slightly different ways, such as 想 (xiǎng) meaning "to miss" when followed by a noun, and 要 (yào) also meaning "going to (do something)".

"要"和"想"都可以表示"want"的意思，但是使用方式有些不同，比如跟上名词的话，"想"的意思就是"思念"，而"要"也有"打算做某事"的意思。

Followed by a Noun

Both 要 (yào) and 想 (xiǎng) can be followed by nouns, but their meanings are different, because the meaning of 想 (xiǎng) changes when used this way.

"要"和"想"后都可以跟上名词，不过他们的意思是不一样的，因为这样使用的话，"想"的意思有所变化。

要 as "to want" "要"作为"to want"

This structure is most often used to buy something, or to order food as a restaurant. It also can be used for a child to get stuff from his parents.

这个结构大部分常用于购买某物，或在饭店点餐，也可以用于小孩向父母索要东西的情况。

Subject + 要 + Noun 主语+要+名词

我要一个三明治。

wǒ yào yī gè sānmíngzhì.

I want a sandwich.

我要一杯水。

wǒ yào yī bēi shuǐ.

I want a glass of water.

想 as "to miss" "想"作为"to miss"

Pay attention here: unlike "想 + Verb," the meaning of 想 in the "想 + Noun" pattern becomes "to miss."

注意：和"想+动词"的结构不同，在"想+名词"的形式中，"想"的意思变成了"想念"。

Subject + 想 + Noun 主语+想+名词

我想妈妈。

I miss my mom.

我想我的小狗。

I miss my little dog.

我想你。

I miss you.

Followed by a Verb

Both 要 (yào) and 想 (xiǎng) can be followed by verbs with similar meanings. The difference between the two is rather subtle, but 要 (yào) can sound more urgent, while 想 (xiǎng) is usually a bit more polite. Tone of voice plays a big role here as well, so don't be afraid of offending people by using 要 (yào); the word itself isn't rude.

"要"和"想"都可以跟上动词表达类似的意思。两者之间的不同之处十分微妙，不过"要"听上去更加急切，而"想"较为礼貌。声音语调在这里也非常关键，因此无需担心使用"要"会冒犯他人，这个字本身并不唐突。

It might help to think of 要 (yào) in this structure as meaning "want to" and 想 (xiǎng) as meaning "would like to."

在此结构中，将"要"的"want to"和"想"的含义看作为"would like to"或许有所帮助。

要 as "want to" "要"作为"want to"

Subject + 要 + Verb 主语+要+动词

我要去。

I want to go.

我要去，我要去！

I wanna go! I wanna go!

我要吃三明治。

I want to eat a sandwich.

我要喝果汁。

I want to drink juice.

我要买水果。

I want to buy fruit.

我要，我要！

I want it! I want it!

想 as "would like to" "想"作为"would like to"

Subject + 想 + Verb 主语+想+动词

我想去。

I'd like to go.

我想见她。

I'd like to see her.

我想喝果汁。

I'd like to drink juice.

我想买水果。

I'd like to buy fruit.

我想吃三明治。

I'd like to eat a sandwich.

要 as "going to" "要"作为"going to"

要 is used to indicate plans for the near future, much like "going to" in English. 想 (xiǎng) is not used in this way.

"要"可用于表示不久将来的计划，很像英文里的"going to"。"想"不能用于这样的方式。

Subject + 要 + Verb 主语+要+动词

星期六我要去北京。

I'm going to Beijing on Saturday.

今年我要学中文。

This year I'm going to learn Chinese.

下班以后，我们要去KTV。

After getting off work, we're going to go to karaoke.

想要 as "want" "想要"作为"want"

You can put 要 (yào) and 想 (xiǎng) together to make the word 想要 (xiǎngyào), which means "to want" or "want". You can put either nouns or verbs after it.

你可以将"要"和"想"放在一起组合成"想要"，意思是"to want"或"want"。你可以在它之后跟上名词或者动词。

Subject + 想要 + Verb 主语+想要+动词

我想要吃三明治。

I want to eat a sandwich.

我想要喝果汁。

I want to drink juice.

我想要买水果。

I want to buy fruit.

我想要新的电脑。

I want a new computer.

These conversations use 想 and 要 in various ways described above:

以下对话涵盖了"想"和"要"上述的各种使用方式：

A: 你要什么？

What do you want?

B: 我要一杯红茶。我还想要一杯牛奶。

I want a cup of black tea. I also want a glass of milk.

A: 你想家吗？

Are you homesick?

B: 我想家。我很想我爸妈。

Yeah, I'm homesick. I really miss my parents.

A: 你想回去吗？

Would you like to go back?

B: 我想回去。下个月我要回家。

Yeah, I would. I'm going back next month.

Translated from: allsetlearning

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