但愿 (dàn yuàn) — to wish, if only (expressing a desire for something to happen or to have happened)
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.
Appears in
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