理想(lǐ xiǎng) - dream/ideal in Mandarin

理想 (lǐxiǎng) is a "dream" or "ideal" in the aspirational sense, the life goal someone is working towards, not a dream you have while asleep (that is 梦 mèng). 理 (lǐ) means "reason, logic" and 想 (xiǎng) means "to think, to want", so together they suggest a reasoned, thought-through aspiration rather than a fantasy.

理想 (lǐxiǎng) doubles as an adjective meaning "ideal": 理想的工作 (lǐxiǎng de gōngzuò), "the ideal job", uses exactly the same word with 的 (de) attaching it to a noun. English speakers sometimes reach for 梦想 (mèngxiǎng), "dream, aspiration", instead, which is a close synonym but leans slightly more towards the fanciful end of the scale; 理想 (lǐxiǎng) is the steadier, more grown up word of the two.

我的理想是 (wǒ de lǐxiǎng shì), "my dream is to", is the standard opener for talking about career and life ambitions in Chinese, and turns up constantly in the "study and employment" topic area.