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期待 (qī dài) — to look forward to, to await eagerly

Definition

期待 emphasizes the eager, positive feeling of looking forward to something pleasant. 等待 is neutral 'to wait'; 期望 leans toward what you hope will happen.

verb
to look forward toto await eagerly

Examples

  • 期待。
    Wǒ qī dài zhè cì lǚ xíng.
    I am looking forward to this trip.
  • 期待。
    Tā qī dài míng tiān hé hǎo péng you jiàn miàn.
    She is looking forward to meeting her good friend tomorrow.
  • 期待。
    Hái zi men qī dài shōu dào lǐ wù.
    The children are looking forward to receiving gifts.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

期qīexpect
待dàiwait

‘期’ means expect and ‘待’ means wait, together describing eager waiting.

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
日日rì
Sound part声符shēngfú
其
其qí期qī
Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

Open 期 →

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
彳彳chì
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì待dài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

待 is built from 彳 on the left and 寺 on the right; 彳 is tied to the meaning, and 寺 gives the sound.

Open 待 →
Appears in
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