梦想 (mèng xiǎng) — (verb) to dream of (a future aspiration); (noun…

Definition

梦想 is a 'cherished aspiration' (career, life goal) — broader than 梦 (which also means sleep-dreams) and more personal than 理想 ('ideal').

verb

to dream of (a future aspiration)

noun

a dreama cherished aspiration

梦想。
Tā mèng xiǎng zuò yì míng lǎo shī.
She dreams of becoming a teacher.
梦想。
Měi gè rén dōu yǒu zì jǐ de mèng xiǎng.
Everyone has their own dreams.
梦想。
Zhè ge mèng xiǎng yì zhí zài wǒ xīn lǐ.
This dream has always been in my heart.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

想xiǎngaspiration

梦想 joins dream and aspiration, so it names a hoped-for goal and the act of dreaming of it.

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 夢; 梦 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

瞢

瞢méng夢mèng

Same sound today

The traditional form 夢 pairs 夕 (night) with 瞢, which gives the sound; its older form showed a person lying with an eye emphasized.

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.

Appears in