Meaning
希望 is one of the most common words for expressing hope or desire. As a verb, it means 'to hope' or 'to wish for something.' As a noun, it means 'hope' itself—the feeling or expectation that something desired will happen. It's used in both formal and informal contexts.
Usage
As a verb, 希望 typically takes a clause or noun phrase as its object (e.g., 希望你成功 'hope you succeed'). It's softer and more polite than 想 (xiǎng) when expressing desires. The noun form often appears in phrases like 充满希望 (full of hope) or 看到希望 (see hope). Commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese.
Examples
- 01我希望明天天气好。.I hope the weather is good tomorrow.
- 02不要放弃，还有希望。, .Don't give up, there's still hope.
Characters
Common collocations
- 希望你......I hope you...
- 充满希望full of hope
- 抱有希望to hold hope
- 看到希望to see hope
Antonyms
Origin
Both characters originally related to looking or gazing into the distance. 希 originally meant 'rare' or 'sparse,' while 望 meant 'to look far away.' Together they convey the sense of looking toward something desired but not yet obtained.