本意 (běn yì) — original intention, real intention; (linguistics) etymon
Definition
本意 names the underlying purpose behind an action or utterance. It overlaps with 初衷 but leans toward what someone privately meant, while 初衷 stresses the aim at the very start.
noun
original intentionreal intention(linguistics) etymon
Examples
- 本意。Tā zhè me zuò de běn yì shì xiǎng bāng zhù dà jiā.His original intention in doing this was to help everyone.
- 本意，。Bié wù huì wǒ de běn yì, wǒ wán quán shì wèi le nǐ hǎo.Don't misunderstand my real intention; I'm completely for your own good.
- “”本意“”。"Mín zhǔ" zhè ge cí de lā dīng běn yì shì "rén mín de tǒng zhì".The Latin etymon of the word 'democracy' is 'rule by the people'.
Appears in
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