欲 (yù) — (bound form) desire; wish (as in 欲望, 食欲); (bound form, literary) about to; on the point of (as in 欲言又止, 欲哭无泪)
Definition
A literary bound morpheme meaning 'desire/wish' (as in 欲望 desire, 食欲 appetite) or 'about to' (as in 欲言又止, wanting to speak but hesitating). It almost never stands alone — pair it with another character to form a word.
bound form
(bound form) desirewish (as in 欲望, 食欲)(bound form, literary) about toon the point of (as in 欲言又止, 欲哭无泪)
Examples
- 。Rén de yù wàng shì wú qióng de.Human desires are endless.
- 欲，。Tā yù yán yòu zhǐ, sì hū yǒu huà yào shuō.He wanted to speak but stopped, as if he had something to say.
- 。Tā duì xué xí de qiú zhī yù hěn qiáng.His desire for learning is very strong.
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