Vocabulary · 词汇 cíhuì

希望

xīwàng

The everyday word for hope: the verb you use to wish that something will be so, the noun for hope itself, why it takes a whole clause as its object, and how it differs from wanting, longing, and looking forward.

~4 min read

字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure

字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

希 xī originally meant "rare, sparse, seldom" (its sense in 希少 scarce, 希罕 rare), and from "what is rare and sought" came to carry the idea of wishing for something. 望 wàng is "to gaze into the distance, to look toward, to hope for," its old form picturing a person on tiptoe straining to see far off, with 月 (moon) and a watching eye. Together 希望 is to gaze toward what is rare and longed-for: to hope.

The 望 of gazing and hoping runs through a vivid family: 看望 kànwàng (to visit, to look in on), 盼望 pànwàng (to long for), 失望 shīwàng (to lose hope, to be disappointed), 绝望 juéwàng (to despair, "cut off from hope"), 渴望 kěwàng (to thirst for). Each turns on the same image of looking toward something out of reach. 希望 sits at the center as the ordinary word for hope.

希望 xīwàng The Core Word

希望 xīwàng to hope; hope

V/N 动名 dòngmíng

As a verb, to hope that something will happen, very often taking a full clause as its object: 我希望你一切都好 ("I hope all is well with you"). As a noun, hope itself, the thing one holds onto: 不要放弃希望 ("don't give up hope"). It is warm but neutral, fit for letters, speeches, and everyday talk alike.

我希望明天是个好天气。

Wǒ xīwàng míngtiān shì ge hǎo tiānqì.

I hope tomorrow is good weather.

希望你早日康复。

Xīwàng nǐ zǎorì kāngfù.

I hope you recover soon.

孩子是父母的希望。

Háizi shì fùmǔ de xīwàng.

Children are their parents' hope.

用法 yòngfǎ Patterns — Hoping That, Hope as a Thing

希望 in use · the core patterns Subject + 希望 + Clause , 我希望你能来 · I hope you can come
希望 + Verb Phrase , 希望帮助别人 · to hope to help others
有 / 没有 + 希望 , 还有希望 · there's still hope
对…的希望 , 对未来的希望 · hope for the future
希望 (as a polite opener) , 希望您理解 · I hope you'll understand

有希望 yǒu xīwàng to have hope; to be promising

"There is hope," used of a situation that may yet turn out well: 病人还有希望 ("the patient still has hope"). It can also mean "promising" of a person or prospect: 这孩子很有希望 ("this child is very promising"). The negative 没有希望 ("there's no hope") and the verb 失望 ("to be let down") sit on the other side.

只要努力，就有希望。

Zhǐyào nǔlì, jiù yǒu xīwàng.

As long as you work hard, there's hope.

失望 shīwàng to be disappointed; to lose hope

The natural counterpart: 失 (to lose) plus 望 (hope), to have one's hope let down. 我对他很失望 ("I'm very disappointed in him"). Stronger still is 绝望 juéwàng ("to despair," hope cut off entirely). Knowing this pair sharpens the warmth of 希望 itself: to hope is to risk 失望.

结果让大家很失望。

Jiéguǒ ràng dàjiā hěn shīwàng.

The result left everyone disappointed.

辨析 biànxī Hope, Want, Long For, Look Forward To

辨析 biànxī · Distinguishing the Words

希望 sits in a family of words about wanting and waiting, and the lines between them are worth drawing. 希望 xīwàng is to hope, a wish about how things turn out, often for outcomes beyond your own doing, and it readily takes a clause: 我希望他成功 ("I hope he succeeds"). 想 xiǎng is to want or feel like doing something yourself: 我想去 ("I want to go"). The two are not interchangeable: you 希望 for situations, you 想 to act.

愿意 yuànyì is "to be willing," about your readiness to do something asked of you: 我愿意帮忙 ("I'm willing to help"). 盼望 pànwàng is "to long for, to eagerly await," stronger and more emotional, the hope of someone who has waited: 盼望团圆 ("longing for reunion"). 期待 qīdài is "to look forward to, to anticipate," used for events you expect with interest: 期待你的回信 ("looking forward to your reply"). Plain hope is 希望; add yearning and you reach 盼望; add eager anticipation and you reach 期待.

成语 chéngyǔ Set Phrases

大失所望 dà shī suǒ wàng to be greatly disappointed Literally "to greatly lose what one hoped for," to have one's expectations badly let down. The 望 here is the same hope that anchors 希望. Used when reality falls far short of what was wished, the sharp form of 失望.

大有希望 dà yǒu xīwàng very promising; full of hope Literally "to greatly have hope," said of a person or prospect with bright chances: 这个项目大有希望 ("this project is very promising"). A warm, encouraging phrase built directly on 希望, the bright mirror of 大失所望.

望梅止渴 wàng méi zhǐ kě to quench thirst by gazing at plums From a tale of Cao Cao, who told thirsty troops that plum groves lay ahead, so the thought of sour plums made their mouths water and eased their thirst. It means consoling oneself with an empty hope or imagined prospect. The 望 of gazing-toward is the same root that gives 希望 its reach.