“To want someone to be . . .”: xiǎngyào 想要 vs - Cchatty

“To want someone to be . . .”: xiǎngyào 想要 vs. xīwang 希望 vs. bìxū 必须

When saying you want someone to be a certain way, only if that person is someone over whom you have control, generally your children, you can use xiǎngyào 想要 to mean “want”:

I want my son to be (become) an engineer.
✔ CC: Wǒ xiǎngyào wǒde érzi chéngwéi yíge gōngchéngshī.
我想要我的儿子成为一个工程师。
✖ BC: Wǒ xiǎng wǒde érzi chéngwéi yíge gōngchéngshī.
我想我的儿子成为一个工程师。

Literally: I am thinking my son become an engineer.
[It’s that nonsensical in Chinese!]

BUT if you want any adult, including a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend, to be a certain way, you can only say that you “hope,” xīwang 希望, they will be that way:

I want my (ideal) boyfriend to be a good Christian.
✔ CC: Wǒ xīwàng wǒde nánpéngyou shì yíge hǎo Jīdūtú.
我希望我的男朋友是一个好基督徒。
✖ BC: Wǒ xiǎngyào wǒde nánpéngyou shì yíge hǎo Jīdūtú.
我想要我的男朋友是一个好基督徒。

To change your wish for how you’d like someone to be into a firm requirement, then use bìxū 必须 (must):

My (ideal) boyfriend must be a good Christian.
Wǒde nánpéngyou bìxū shì yíge hǎo Jīdūtú.
我的男朋友必须是一个好基督徒。