Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ bù xiǎng nàyàng zuò. - I don’t want to do it that way.

To want / feel like / would like to
- 我想吃米饭。 – I want to eat rice.
- 我不想那样做。 – I don’t want to do it that way.
To think / to consider
- 我想，你是对的。 – I think you’re right.
To miss (someone)
- 我想你。 – I miss you.

How to tell which meaning it has:

If 想 is followed by a verb (吃, 去, 做, 说…), it usually means “want / feel like (doing something)”.
If 想 is followed by a full clause (like 你是对的), it usually means “to think”.
If 想 is followed by a person with no verb after, it usually means “to miss”.

Here, 想 is followed by 那样做 (do it that way), so it means “want to / feel like”.

Why is the negative 不 and not 没? What would 我没想那样做 mean?

不 and 没 are both negators but are used differently.

In 我不想那样做:

不想 = do not want (to) / don’t feel like (doing) (a general or present-state negation).

没想那样做 is possible, but its meaning is different:

我没想那样做。 = I didn’t intend to do it that way / That wasn’t what I meant to do.
- 没想 here = didn’t think / didn’t intend / didn’t have the thought.

So:

我不想那样做。 – I don’t want to do it that way. (current desire / preference)
我没想那样做。 – I didn’t mean to do it that way. (referring to a past intention / thought that you didn’t have)

What exactly does 那样 mean here? Is it “that way”, “like that”, or “that kind (of thing)”?

那样 literally means “that kind / that way / like that”.

In this sentence, 那样 is describing how you would do something. So 那样做 = do (it) that way / do (it) like that.

Depending on context, 那样 can feel like:

that way / in that manner
like that
that kind (of way / behavior)

So 我不想那样做。 fits well as:

I don’t want to do it that way.
I don’t want to do it like that.
I don’t want to do that kind of thing (that way).

The exact nuance depends on what “that” refers to in the situation.

Why is the word order 那样做 and not 做那样? Can I say 我不想做那样?

那样做 is the natural word order here because 那样 is modifying 做 (the manner of doing).

那样做 = to do (it) that way / to do things like that (adverb-like use of 那样).
做那样 on its own usually feels incomplete; you’d expect a noun after it:
- 做那样的事 – do that kind of thing
- 做那样的动作 – make that kind of movement

If you just say 做那样, it often sounds like something is missing.

You can say:

我不想做那样的事。 – I don’t want to do that kind of thing.

But 我不想那样做 is the natural way to say “I don’t want to do it that way / like that.”

Where is the “it” in “I don’t want to do it that way”? There’s no object in Chinese.

Chinese often omits objects that are obvious from context.

In English:

I don’t want to do it that way.

In Chinese:

我不想那样做。

The “it” (whatever action or task you’re talking about) is understood from context, so you don’t need to say it.

If you really need to make the object explicit, you could say:

我不想那样做这件事。 – I don’t want to do this thing that way.
我不想那样做那件事。 – I don’t want to do that thing that way.

But in normal conversation, 我不想那样做 is enough and sounds more natural.

What’s the difference between 那样 and 那么? Could I say 我不想那么做?

Yes, you can say 我不想那么做. It’s very natural and means almost the same thing.

Both 那样 and 那么 can mean “that way / like that” when describing manner:

我不想那样做。
我不想那么做。

In many cases they’re interchangeable. Some rough tendencies:

那样 is a bit more “that kind / that sort / that kind of way”.
那么 often has a degree or extent feel: so / that (much), and is also widely used in spoken language.

Here there’s no big difference. You can treat:

那样做 ≈ 那么做 ≈ do it like that / that way.

Is 我不想那样做 polite enough in conversation, or does it sound too direct?

我不想那样做 is grammatically fine and neutral, but in some situations it can sound a bit direct or firm, especially if you’re talking to someone above you in status (a boss, teacher, elder).

To soften it, people often:

Add a softener like 有点 / 有一点 / 不太
- 我不太想那样做。 – I don’t really want to do it that way.
- 我有点不想那样做。 – I kind of don’t want to do it that way.
Add 觉得 (I feel / I think)
- 我觉得不太想那样做。 (less common)
  More natural is to change structure:
- 我觉得那样做不太好。 – I feel doing it that way isn’t so good.
Use suggestion-style phrases
- 我可以不那样做吗？ – Can I not do it that way?
- 我们能不能换一种做法？ – Can we change to another way of doing it?

So:

To be direct: 我不想那样做。
To be softer: 我不太想那样做。

Does this sentence refer to now, the future, or in general? How would I say “I didn’t want to do it that way”?

我不想那样做 typically describes your current or general desire:

Right now / as a rule: you don’t want to do it that way.

Chinese doesn’t mark tense the same way English does. To talk about the past, you usually:

Add time expressions, or
Use 了, or
Change the verb/structure.

Examples:

当时我不想那样做。 – At that time, I didn’t want to do it that way.
那时候我真的不想那样做。 – Back then, I really didn’t want to do it that way.

If you mean you no longer want to (a change from before), you can say:

我不想那样做了。 – I don’t want to do it that way anymore.

So:

我不想那样做。 – I (now / generally) don’t want to do it that way.
我不想那样做了。 – I don’t want to do it that way anymore.
当时我不想那样做。 – At that time, I didn’t want to do it that way.

Can I say 我不那样做 without 想? What’s the difference?

Yes, 我不那样做 is possible, but its meaning is different.

我不想那样做。 – I don’t want to do it that way.
Focus: your desire / willingness.
我不那样做。 – I don’t do things that way / I don’t act like that.
Focus: your habit / principle / rule.

我不那样做 often expresses a kind of moral stance or fixed habit:

我不那样做，那样做不诚实。 – I don’t do things that way; that way is dishonest.

Whereas 我不想那样做 is simply:

I don’t feel like doing it that way (this time / in this situation).

Why can’t I say 我想不那样做 to mean “I don’t want to do it that way”?

我想不那样做 is not natural in Mandarin.

The negative 不 normally goes before the main verb or adjective:

我不想… – I don’t want…
我不做… – I don’t do…
我不喜欢… – I don’t like…

Here:

The verb expressing your mental state is 想 (want / feel like).
So the negation must go before 想: 不想.

我想不那样做 would be interpreted as:

我想 (不那样做) – “I want (to not do it that way)”
But Mandarin doesn’t structure it like this; we simply negate 想 itself:
我不想那样做。 – I don’t want to do it that way.

So the correct and natural way is 我不想那样做, not 我想不那样做.

Could I use 想要 instead of 想 here, like 我不想要那样做?

In this sentence, 不想要那样做 is not natural. Use 不想.

General pattern:

想要 + noun
- 我想要一本书。 – I want a book.
想 + verb phrase
- 我想看电影。 – I want to watch a movie.

Since 那样做 is a verb phrase (“do it that way”), you should use 想, not 想要:

✅ 我不想那样做。
❌ 我不想要那样做。 (unnatural)

想要 can sometimes work before verbs in more literary / emotional styles, but for everyday speech, for “want to do something that way”, stick with 想:

我不想那样做。 is the correct, natural choice.

What’s the difference between 那样, 那样子, and 那样的 in similar sentences?

They’re related but used differently:

那样 – “that way / like that / that kind (of way)”
- Modifies verbs (manner):
  - 我不想那样做。 – I don’t want to do it that way.
那样子 – “that way / that kind / that style” (often a bit more concrete or colloquial)
- Can be used alone or with verbs:
  - 不要那样子。 – Don’t be like that.
  - 你为什么那样子说话？ – Why do you talk like that?
那样的 + noun – “that kind of …”
- Modifies nouns:
  - 我不想做那样的事。 – I don’t want to do that kind of thing.
  - 我不喜欢那样的做法。 – I don’t like that kind of method.

In your sentence, you’re modifying the verb 做, so 那样做 is the natural pattern:

(那样) + 做 = do (it) that way.

Is there any difference between 我不想那样做 and 我不想这么做?

Yes, the difference is mainly in “that” vs “this”:

那样 = that way (often something more distant, or previously mentioned, or someone else’s way).
这样 / 这么 = this way / like this (usually something closer to you, what is happening now, or what you’re doing/considering).

So:

我不想那样做。 – I don’t want to do it that way. (the way someone else suggested / some described method)
我不想这么做。 – I don’t want to do it this way. (the way it is currently being done / proposed right now)

Both are common; the choice depends on what you’re pointing to: “this way” vs “that way”.

Does 我不想那样做 sound more like “I don’t want to do it that way” or “I don’t feel like doing it that way”? Is it strong or mild?

不想 can cover both “don’t want to” and “don’t feel like”, depending on tone and context.

Neutral reading:
我不想那样做。 – I don’t want to do it that way.
(fairly clear but not necessarily emotional)
Softer / more casual tone: it can feel like:
I don’t really feel like doing it that way.

If you want it to sound stronger:

我真的不想那样做。 – I really don’t want to do it that way.
我一点都不想那样做。 – I don’t want to do it that way at all.

If you want it milder:

我不太想那样做。 – I don’t really want to do it that way.
我有点不想那样做。 – I kind of don’t want to do it that way.

The base sentence 我不想那样做 is somewhere in the middle: clear, but tone-dependent.