(kě wàng) - to long for, to yearn for; a longing in Mandarin
kěwàngTraditional: 渴望
Translation
to long for, to yearn for; a longing
Word origin
A compound of 渴 (kě, thirsty, written with 氵water and 曷 as phonetic) and 望 (wàng, to gaze into the distance, to hope), so literally to thirst and look out for.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 渴 (kě, thirsty) + 望 (wàng, to gaze, to hope)
Stroke order
渴
望
Examples
。
He longs to go home.
。
The children long for freedom.
。
She longs to be trusted by everyone.
。
I am desperate to know the result.
。
That was his longing of many years.
渴望 (kě wàng) is wanting with the thirst still visible in it. The first character is the one in 口渴, thirsty, and that is exactly the flavour: a want that has gone on long enough to ache.
It takes either a noun or a whole verb phrase: 渴望自由, 渴望回家, 渴望知道结果. That flexibility is worth noticing, because English splits the two into long for and long to.
The trap is reaching for it too often. 想 covers ordinary wanting, 希望 covers hoping. Save 渴望 for freedom, recognition, home after years away. A learner who 渴望 a cup of tea has said something faintly operatic.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueMandarin · Free printables
渴望: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "渴望" (to long for, to yearn for; a longing): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 46.