Comparing "yao" and "xiang"

Both 要 (yào) and 想 (xiǎng) can mean essentially "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)."

Followed by a Noun

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

要 as "to want"

Structure

This structure is most often used to buy something, or to order food as a restaurant. It's also to imagine a demanding child using this pattern to get stuff from his parents. This pattern can be rude, but it's not as inherently rude as it may seem when translated directly into English.

Subj. + 要 + Noun

Examples

• 你 也 要 茶 吗？(ordering in a restaurant)Nǐ yě yào chá ma? Do you also want tea?
• 我们 都 要 咖啡。(ordering in a cafe)Wǒmen dōu yào kāfēi. We all want coffee.
• 大家 要 不 要 米饭？(ordering in a restaurant)Dàjiā yào bù yào mǐfàn? Does everyone want rice?
• 你们 要 冰水 还是 热水？(ordering in a restaurant)Nǐmen yào bīngshuǐ háishì rèshuǐ? Do you want ice water or hot water?
• 谢谢， 我 什么 都 不 要。(ordering in a restaurant)Xièxiè, wǒ shénmen dōu bù yào. Thank you. I don't need anything.

想 as "to miss"

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

Structure

Subj. + 想 + Noun

Examples

• 我想 你。Wǒ xiǎng nǐ. I miss you.
• 我 有点 想 我 的 家人。Wǒ yǒudiǎn xiǎng wǒ de jiārén. I sort of miss my family.
• 你们 回 美国 以后， 会 想 中国菜 吗？Nǐmen huí Měiguó yǐhòu, huì xiǎng Zhōngguó cài ma? Will you all miss Chinese food after you go back to the U.S.?
• 你女朋友 不 在 的时候，你 会 想 她 吗？Nǐ nǚpéngyou bù zài de shíhou, nǐ huì xiǎng tā ma? Do you miss your girlfriend when she is not around?
• 妈妈 打 电话 的 时候 跟 我 说， 她 很 想 我。Māma dǎ diànhuà de shíhou gēn wǒ shuō, tā hěn xiǎng wǒ. Mom called me and said she misses me a lot.

Followed by a Verb

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

要 as "want to"

Structure

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

Subj. + 要 + Verb

Examples

• 我 要 休息 。Wǒ yào xiūxi. I want to rest.
• 你 也 要 回家 吗 ？Nǐ yě yào huíjiā ma? Do you also want to go home?
• 你们 要 喝 什么 ？Nǐmen yào hē shénme? What do you want to drink?
• 我 要 帮 老板 做 完 这 些 工作 。Wǒ yào bāng lǎobǎn zuò wán zhè xiē gōngzuò. I want to help the boss finish this work.
• 大家 晚上 要 不 要 出去 吃 ？Dàjiā wǎnshang yào bù yào chūqù chī? Does everyone want to go out to eat tonight?

想 as "would like to"

Structure

It might help to think of 想 (xiǎng) as meaning "would like to" instead of "want to."

Subj. + 想 + Verb

Examples

• 你 想 去 吗 ？Nǐ xiǎng qù ma? Would you like to go?
• 我 不 想 见 她 。Wǒ bù xiǎng jiàn tā. I wouldn't like to see her.
• 周末 你们 想 看 电影 吗 ？Zhōumò nǐmen xiǎng kàn diànyǐng ma? Would you like to see a movie this weekend?
• 我 想 请 你 吃饭 。Wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ chīfàn. I'd like to treat you to dinner.
• 他们 春节 不 想 回家 吗 ？Tāmen Chūnjié bù xiǎng huíjiā ma? Don't they want to go back home for Spring Festival?

要 as "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.

Structure

Subj. + 要 + Verb

Examples

• 星期六 我 要 去 北京。Xīngqīliù wǒ yào qù Běijīng. I'm going to Beijing on Saturday.
• 下 个 月 她 要 找 新 工作。Xià gè yuè tā yào zhǎo xīn gōngzuò. She is going to find a new job next month.
• 这个 周末 你们 要 出去 玩 吗？Zhè gè zhōumò nǐmen yào chūqù wán ma? Are you going out to have fun this weekend?
• 结婚 以后，你 要 跟 父母 住 在 一起 吗？Jiéhūn yǐhòu, nǐ yào gēn nǐ fùmǔ zhù zài yīqǐ ma? Are you going to live together with your parents after you get married?
• 生 完 孩子 以后，你太太 要 回去 工作 吗？Shēng wán háizi yǐhòu, nǐtàitài yào huíqù gōngzuò ma? Is your wife going back to work after she finishes giving birth to the baby?

想要 as "want"

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

Subj. + 想要 + Verb

• 你 想要 生 几 个 孩子？Nǐmen xiǎng yào shēng jǐ gè háizi? How many kids do you want to have?
• 很多 女孩 都 想要 找 一 个 有钱 的 男朋友。Hěn duō nǚhái dōu xiǎng yào zhǎo yī gè yǒuqián de nánpéngyou. A lot of girls want to find a rich boyfriend.
• 你们 为什么 想要 离开 这 家 公司？Nǐmen wèishénme xiǎng yào líkāi zhè jiā gōngsī? Why do you want to leave this company?
• 他 想要 帮 你 找 一 个 更好 的 工作。Tā xiǎng yào bāng nǐ zhǎo yī gè gèng hǎo de gōngzuò. He wants to help you find a better job.
• 我老婆 总是 想要 买 最 贵 的 包。Wǒlǎopo zǒngshì xiǎng yào mǎi zuì guì de bāo. My wife always wants to buy the most expensive bags.

Dialog

These conversations use 想 and 要 in various ways described in this article.

• A: 你 要 什么？Nǐ yào shénme? What do you want?
• B: 我 要 一 杯 红茶。我 还 想要 一杯 牛奶。Wǒ xiǎng yào yī bēi hóngchá.Wǒ hái xiǎng yào yī bēi niúnǎi. I want a cup of black tea. I also want a glass of milk.

• A: 你 想 家 吗？Nǐ xiǎng jiā ma? Are you homesick?
• B: 我 想 家。我 很 想 我 爸妈。Wǒ xiǎng jiā. Wǒ hěn xiǎng wǒ bàmā. Yeah, I'm homesick. I really miss my parents.

• A: 你 想 不 想 跟 她 结婚？Nǐ xiǎng bù xiǎng gēn tā jiéhūn? Would you like to marry her or not?
• B: 我 想。可是 我们 要 先 买 房子 再 结婚。Wǒ xiǎng.Késhì wǒ yào xiān mǎi fángzi zài jiéhūn. Yeah, I would. But I'm going to buy a house first and then get married.

See also

• Wanting to do something with yao
• "Would like to" with xiang
• Auxiliary verb "yao" and its multiple meanings
• Negative commands with "bu yao"
• Expressing determination with "feiyao"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 154-5) →buy