望 (wàng) — to gaze into the distance, to look far away; to hope, to expect, to look forward to
Definition
望 is a literary or written verb meaning 'to gaze into the distance' or 'to hope for / look forward to.' For 'hope,' 盼望 or 期望 sound more natural in everyday speech; 仰望 specifically means looking up at something high or admiring a person.
verb
to gaze into the distanceto look far awayto hopeto expectto look forward to
Examples
- 望。Tā zhàn zài shān dǐng xiàng yuǎn fāng wàng.He stood on the mountaintop and gazed into the distance.
- 望。Wǒ wàng nǐ zǎo rì kāng fù.I hope you recover soon.
- 望。Fù mǔ dōu wàng hái zi yǒu chū xi.Parents all hope their children will be successful.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 臣臣chéneye
- 𡈼𡈼𡈼person standing on the ground
望 originally showed 臣 (eye) beside 𡈼 (person standing on the ground): a person standing up and looking off into the distance. Later 月 was added, and the 臣 part became 亡.
Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.