意想 (yì xiǎng) — (noun) expectation; (verb, literary) to expect;…

Definition

A formal/literary word for 'expectation' or 'to expect,' used in writing rather than everyday speech. It pairs with 不到 in 意想不到 ('unexpected').

noun

expectation

verb

(verb, literary) to expectto anticipate

Easily confused

意想。
Zhè ge jié guǒ què shí chū hū dà jiā de yì xiǎng.
This result really is beyond everyone's expectation.
。
Zhēn shì yì xiǎng bú dào de shì qing.
It's truly an unexpected thing.
意想。
Tā de yì xiǎng yǔ shí jì qíng kuàng bù fú.
His expectation doesn't match the actual situation.

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.

意yìthink/expect

想xiǎngthink/expect

意 and 想 both concern thought or expectation, so together they mean to expect.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

相心想

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart, mind

Sound part声符shēngfú

相

Same sound today

想 has 心 (heart, mind) below 相 (to look at); the shape shows the mind looking at or considering something, and 相 also gives the sound.