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许愿 (xǔ yuàn) — to make a wish

Definition

许愿 means to make a personal wish (over a cake, at a temple, on a shooting star). 祝愿 and 祝福 are used to express good wishes FOR someone else; 宣誓 is a solemn public oath, far more formal.

verb
to make a wish

Examples

  • 许愿，。
    Tā duì zhe dàn gāo xǔ yuàn, rán hòu chuī miè le là zhú.
    She made a wish over the cake and then blew out the candles.
  • ？
    Nǐ zài sì miào lǐ xǔ le shén me yuàn?
    What wish did you make at the temple?
  • ，许愿。
    Měi cì kàn dào liú xīng, tā dōu huì kāi xīn dì xǔ yuàn.
    Every time he sees a shooting star, he happily makes a wish.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

许xǔpromise
愿yuànwish

许 (promise) and 愿 (wish) together form the idea of promising a wish, i.e. making a 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 許; 许 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech; words
Sound part声符shēngfú
午
午wǔ許xǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 許 pairs 言, meaning speech or words, with 午 for its sound; 许 is a simplified form.

Open 许 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
原
原yuán愿yuàn
Same sound today

愿 places 心 (heart) below 原, which supplies the sound yuán; the 心 part marks the sense of heart or feeling.

Open 愿 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Religion & Belief

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.