祈望 (qí wàng) — (verb) to hope, to wish; (noun) hope, wish

Definition

祈望 is a formal, written 'hope / wish', stronger and more literary than the everyday 希望. Usually takes a clause or noun phrase as its object (e.g. 世界和平, 早日康复).

verb
to hopeto wish
noun
hopewish

Examples

  • 祈望。
    Wǒ qí wàng nǐ néng zǎo rì kāng fù.
    I hope you recover soon.
  • 祈望。
    Zhè shì tā wéi yī de xīn yuàn hé qí wàng.
    This is his only wish and hope.
  • 祈望。
    Rén men dōu qí wàng shì jiè hé píng.
    People all hope for world peace.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

祈qípray
望wànghope

祈 (pray) and 望 (hope) combine to mean a hopeful wish.

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
示示shìaltar
Sound part声符shēngfú
斤
斤jīn祈⁰qí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

祈 has 示, an altar, on the left; 斤 on the right gives the character its sound.

Open 祈 →

Two 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.

Open 望 →

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