但愿 (dàn yuàn) — to wish, if only (expressing a desire for somet… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

但愿 expresses a wistful wish for something the speaker cannot control — 'if only… / I wish…' — often about an unlikely or unreal outcome. Unlike 愿 or 祝 (which hope for good things for others), 但愿 is personal and slightly resigned.

verb

to wishif only (expressing a desire for something to happen or to have happened)

Examples

但愿。
dàn yuàn Nǐ néng zǎo diǎn r lái.
I wish you could come a little earlier.
但愿。
dàn yuàn Míng tiān bú xià yǔ.
I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.
但愿。
dàn yuàn Wǒ dāng chū tīng le nǐ de jiàn yì.
I wish I had listened to your advice back then.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

但 means only and 愿 means wish; the phrase expresses only wishing something to happen.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

亻旦但

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

旦

旦dàn但dàn

Same sound today

但 pairs 亻, a person, with 旦, which gives its sound.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

原心愿

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

原

原yuán愿yuàn

Same sound today

愿 places 心 (heart) below 原, which supplies the sound yuán; the 心 part marks the sense of heart or feeling.

Appears in

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