willing to

[kadioguy]

willing
adj
if you are willing to do something, you do it when someone asks you, sometimes when you do not want to

I wasn’t willing to accept every item on the list.
They are very willing to give her the chance she needs.
Try not to seem too willing to help.

https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/willing

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'if you are willing to do something, you do it ..., sometimes when you do not want to'

I don't understand. :-?

 

[Matthew Wai]

You do it when you do not want to because you have to.
Sometimes you have to do what you do not want to.

 

[kadioguy]

You do it when you do not want to because you have to.
Sometimes you have to do what you do not want to.

I think 'be willing to' is equal to 'want to', so it confuses me.

Sometimes I have to do what I do not want to; in this case l would say 'I must do something' instead of 'I am willing to do something'.

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think 'be willing to' is equal to 'want to'

They are not equal in meaning in the following:
Being in financial difficulty, I was willing to sell my cabin cruiser althought I did not want to.

 

[emsr2d2]

I agree that it can mean "to be prepared to do something even when you don't really want to" but that doesn't have to be the case.

I'm willing to phone in sick at work today just to watch the tennis!
He's willing to give her everything she wants.

Manager: Are you willing to work Sundays from now on?
Employee: Absolutely!

 

[jutfrank]

It is a contradiction, but that's the nature of human desire. We can simultaneously want and not want something.

 

[Matthew Wai]

'Be willing to do something' =「願意做某事」。
'Want to do something' =「想要做某事」。
They don't mean the same.

 

[kadioguy]

I agree that it can mean "to be prepared to do something even when you don't really want to" but that doesn't have to be the case.

What does 'but that doesn't have to be the case' mean?

Did you mean sometimes it is true, but sometimes not?

 

[Matthew Wai]

It can mean "to be prepared to do something even when you don't really want to" but doesn't have to mean so.

 

[kadioguy]

It can mean "to be prepared to do something even when you don't really want to" but doesn't have to mean so.

Does 'it doesn't have to mean so' mean 'it doesn't necessarily mean so'?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think you are right. It can mean so but doesn't necessarily mean so.