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众望所归 (zhòng wàng suǒ guī) — (idiom) to enjoy popular confidence; to be the natural choice of the people; (idiom) universally acclaimed; meeting everyone's expectations

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'to enjoy universal public confidence' — typically describes a person whose election or appointment fulfills everyone's expectations. Often pairs with 是 or 可谓, as in 当选是众望所归.

idiom
to enjoy popular confidenceto be the natural choice of the peopleuniversally acclaimedmeeting everyone's expectations

Examples

  • 众望所归，。
    Tā dāng xuǎn wèi huì zhǎng shì zhòng wàng suǒ guī, méi yǒu rén jué de yì wài.
    His election as president was a matter of popular confidence — nobody found it surprising.
  • ，众望所归。
    Zhè wèi kē xué jiā huò dé nuò bèi ěr jiǎng, kě wèi zhòng wàng suǒ guī.
    This scientist winning the Nobel Prize is truly a case of popular acclaim.
  • 众望所归。
    zhòng wàng suǒ guī De dǒng shì zhǎng lián rèn le dì sān jiè.
    The chairman, who enjoys universal support, was re-elected for a third term.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

众望popular expectations
众zhòngmany望wàngexpectations
偏正Modifier + head
所归that which belongs
所suǒthat which归guībelong
主谓Subject + predicate

众 'many' + 望 'expectations' give the public's trust, and 归 'return' shows where it rests.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 眾; 众 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 眾 shows three people under a sun-like shape, meaning a crowd gathered under the sun; the simplified 众 is a later shorthand.

Open 众 →

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 →

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
斤斤jīnaxe
Sound part声符shēngfú
戶
戶hù所suǒ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

所 pairs 斤, an axe, with 戶, which gives the sound hù; the old meaning was the sound of logging.

Open 所 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 歸; 归 is its simplified writing.

  • 𠂤𠂤𠂤ancient form of {{zh-l|*師|troops}}
  • 帚帚zhǒubroom; sweep

The traditional form 歸 combines 𠂤 (troops) and 帚 (broom; sweep) to show sweeping away an enemy and returning; the simplified 归 is a later abbreviation.

Open 归 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesSociety & Public Life

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