渴盼 (kě pàn) — to eagerly look forward to; to earnestly hope

Definition

渴盼 is a literary-formal verb meaning 'to yearn / long for' with eager anticipation. Stronger and more written than 期待 (which is neutral) and more emotional than 盼望 (a plainer 'to hope for').

verb
to eagerly look forward toto earnestly hope

Examples

  • 渴盼。
    Tā kě pàn zhe yǔ jiā rén tuán jù.
    He eagerly looks forward to reuniting with his family.
  • 渴盼。
    Wǒ men kě pàn hé píng de dào lái.
    We earnestly hope for the arrival of peace.
  • 渴盼。
    Tā kě pàn shōu dào tā de lái xìn.
    She eagerly looks forward to receiving his letter.

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.

渴kěeager/thirsty
盼pànhope/look forward

渴 (eager) and 盼 (hope) combine for earnestly looking forward.

Characters in this word

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
曷
曷hé渴kě
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

渴 combines 氵 (water) with 曷 giving the sound. The water part shows dryness or exhaustion of water.

Open 渴 →

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
目目mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
分
分fēn盼pàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

盼 is made of 目 and 分; 分 gives the sound.

Open 盼 →

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