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自愿 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
自愿zìyuànvoluntaryHSK 6, d, rank #3456, Hard
zìyuàn(zi4yuan4) T4
  1. 1voluntary
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
自愿(自願)zìyuàn(zi4yuan4)

自愿 (zìyuàn) refers to acting of one's own free will without any coercion or obligation. It is commonly used in contexts such as volunteering, making personal choices, or agreeing to something willingly, emphasizing the idea of autonomy in decision-making.

Frequency#3456DifficultyHard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the concept of volunteering often ties back to community and family support, where selfless acts are highly valued. Events like community service often highlight the importance of 自愿 in fostering social harmony.

Memory Tip

Think of 自 (self) as representing your own choice, and 愿 (wish) as your desire. Imagine yourself happily raising your hand to volunteer, symbolizing your self-driven wish to help.

Meanings of 自愿

zìyuàn(zi4yuan4)
1voluntary
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 自愿

自愿Simplified
自願Traditional
—Strokes
—Radical
副词fùcíadverb (adv.)Part of Speech
#3456Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L5HSK 3.0L6IntermediateHSKKL3CEFRB2

Podcast: 自愿

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Podcast: 自愿

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AI Study Notes for 自愿

Quick Contrast

自发 (zìfā) - use 自愿 when emphasizing the voluntary nature of a choice, while 自发 implies a spontaneous or natural occurrence without external prompting.

Memory Mnemonic

Think of 自 (self) as representing your own choice, and 愿 (wish) as your desire. Imagine yourself happily raising your hand to volunteer, symbolizing your self-driven wish to help.

Usage Notes

Be cautious not to confuse 自愿 with 强迫 (qiǎngpò), which means 'to force'. It is used in both formal and informal contexts, often in legal documents or discussions about consent. Common collocations include 自愿参加 (volunteer to participate) and 自愿服务 (voluntary service).

HSK Study Tips

As an HSK Level 5 word, 自愿 connects with other words describing actions and intentions. Students should focus on understanding how it differs from words that imply obligation or coercion, such as 必须 (bìxū, must) or 强迫 (qiǎngpò, to force).

Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the concept of volunteering often ties back to community and family support, where selfless acts are highly valued. Events like community service often highlight the importance of 自愿 in fostering social harmony.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 自愿 with words like 强迫, mistakenly using it to imply obligation. For example, saying '我自愿去做' when they mean '我必须去做' (I have to do it) is incorrect; the correction would be to use 必须 instead.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 自愿

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Component Characters

自zìfrom
HSK 46 strokes自
View full entry
愿yuànto hope
HSK 514 strokes心
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Write 自愿

自
愿

Practice writing 自愿 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Grammar Patterns of 自愿

自愿 functions as an adverb — it modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. In Chinese, adverbs sit BEFORE the verb they modify (我也去, 他常常迟到), never after it. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 4

Complete the Sentence

自律、____与热情，这是你所必须依仗的。

Self-discipline, willingness, enthusiasm, that's what you must depend on.

Example Sentences for 自愿 (10)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
自律、自愿与热情，这是你所必须依仗的。

zì lǜ、 、 zì yuàn yǔ rè， qíng ， zhè shì nǐ suǒ bì xū yī。

Self-discipline, willingness, enthusiasm, that's what you must depend on.
2
在新闻部员工中已经在转发一封电子邮件,呼吁大家自愿裁汰.

zài xīn wén bù yuán gōng zhōng yǐ jīng zài zhuǎn fā yī fēng diàn zǐ yóu jiàn, , hū xū dà jiā zì yuàn cái.

An e-mail is already circulating amongst news staff calling for voluntary redundancies.
3
不足为奇的是，孤立主义者发现有成千上万的人自愿加入到他们的事业当中来。

bù zú wéi qí de shì， ， gū lì zhǔ yì zhě fā xiàn yǒu chéng qiān shàng wàn de rén zì yuàn jiā rù dào tā mén de shì yè dāng zhōng。

Not surprisingly, isolationists found thousands of willing recruits to their cause.
4
4名在意大利大使馆寻求避难的人已经自愿离开了。

4 4 míng zài yì dà lì dà shǐ guǎn xún qiú bì nán de rén yǐ jīng zì yuàn lí kāi。

Four people who sought refuge in the Italian embassy have left voluntarily.
5
两名男性之间发生的双方自愿的性接触可能会构成犯罪。

liǎng míng nán xìng zhī jiān fā shēng de shuāng fāng zì yuàn de xìng jiē chù kě néng huì gòu chéng fàn zuì。

Consensual sexual contact between two males can be a criminal activity.
6
贝萨妮会像她承诺的那样自愿回来吗？

bèi sà nī huì xiàng tā chéng nuò de nà yàng zì yuàn huí lái ma？

Would Bethany return of her own free will, as she had promised?
7
再要呆在一起就好像自愿被活活剥皮一样。

zài yào dāi zài yī qǐ jiù hǎo xiàng zì yuàn bèi huó huó bāo pí yī yàng。

To remain together was like volunteering to be flayed alive.
8
税租是自愿捐献的赠款,惟有下议院才能接受.

shuì zū shì zì yuàn juān xiàn de zèng kuǎn, , wéi yǒu xià yì yuàn cái néng jiē.

The taxes are a voluntary gift and grant of Commons alone.
9
听这门课纯粹是自愿的。

tīng zhè mén kè chún cuì shì zì yuàn de。

Attendance on the course is purely voluntary.
10
他自愿做这苦差使.

tā zì yuàn zuò zhè kǔ chà shǐ.

He volunteered for the hard and unprofitable job.

Cultural Notes for 自愿

🏮Cultural insight

In Chinese culture, the concept of volunteering often ties back to community and family support, where selfless acts are highly valued. Events like community service often highlight the importance of 自愿 in fostering social harmony.

Frequently Asked Questions about 自愿

You can say '我自愿参加这个活动' (I voluntarily participate in this activity).