求知欲 (qiú zhī yù) — thirst for knowledge; desire to learn

Definition

求知欲 is a fixed noun meaning 'thirst for knowledge' — a strong, lasting drive to learn. Pairs naturally with 强/很强 ('very strong') and verbs like 培养 ('cultivate') or 激发 ('spark').

noun
thirst for knowledgedesire to learn

Examples

  • 求知欲。
    Tā de qiú zhī yù hěn qiáng.
    His thirst for knowledge is very strong.
  • 求知欲。
    Lǎo shī gǔ lì xué shēng péi yǎng qiú zhī yù.
    The teacher encourages students to cultivate a desire to learn.
  • 求知欲。
    Zhè zhǒng qiú zhī yù cù shǐ tā bú duàn xué xí.
    This thirst for knowledge drives him to keep learning.

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.

求知seek knowledge
求qiúseek知zhīknowledge
动宾Verb + object
欲yùdesire

求 expresses seeking, 知 names knowledge, and 欲 is the desire that drives the search.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

求 began as a drawing of a centipede.

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Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
欠欠qiàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
谷
谷gǔ欲yù
Same sound today

欲 is made of 谷, which supplies the sound, and 欠, which relates to the meaning.

Open 欲 →

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