望 (wàng): full moon, to hope, to expect
望 (wàng) is a Chinese character meaning “full moon.” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 月 (moon). It ranks #326 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 望 a king 王 gazing at the moon 月; 亡 provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 月 (moon) appears in many related characters such as 月 (yuè, moon, month), 有 (yǒu, to have), 朋 (péng, friend).
Definitions
- full moon
- to hope
- to expect
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA king 王 gazing at the moon 月; 亡 provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿱⿰亡月王 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 望 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 望
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 希望verb | xī wàng | to hope | 2 |
| 失望verb/adjective | shī wàng | disappointed | 4 |
| 渴望verb | kě wàng | to thirst for | 6 |
| 期望verb | qī wàng | to have expectations | 6 |
| 绝望verb | jué wàng | to despair | 6 |
| 愿望noun | yuàn wàng | desire | 5 |
| 欲望noun | yù wàng | desire | 6 |
| 看望verb | kàn wàng | to pay a visit to | 5 |
| 盼望verb | pàn wàng | to hope for | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 指望 | zhǐ wàng | to count on |
| 探望 | tàn wàng | to visit |
| 望远镜 | wàng yuǎn jìng | telescope () |
| 声望 | shēng wàng | reputation |
| 奢望 | shē wàng | an extravagant hope |
| 仰望 | yǎng wàng | to look up at |
| 展望 | zhǎn wàng | outlook |
| 名望 | míng wàng | renown |
| 守望 | shǒu wàng | to keep watch |
| 无望 | wú wàng | without hope |
| 张望 | zhāng wàng | to look around |
| 观望 | guān wàng | to wait and see |
| 有望 | yǒu wàng | hopeful |
| 望风 | wàng fēng | to be on the lookout |
| 凝望 | níng wàng | to gaze at |
望 appears in 100 compound words: 25 as the first character, 64 as the last, and 11 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 望 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (22)
to wish for higher status (idiom); to curry favor in the hope of promotion
to be delighted that things are better than one expected; to be overjoyed
to stand tall and see far (idiom); taking the long and broad view; acute foresight
to wish for higher status (idiom); to curry favor in the hope of promotion
to stand tall and see far (idiom); taking the long and broad view; acute foresight
Showing 12 of 22 idioms containing 望.
Example Sentences
这个软件用起来很方便，界面设计也很人性化。
Zhè gè ruǎnjiàn yòng qǐlai hěn fāngbiàn, jièmiàn shèjì yě hěn rénxìnghuà.
This software is very convenient to use, and the interface design is also very user-friendly.
公股投信“四合一”迈步 第一金投信可望主导 合并后排名看第七
gōng gǔ tóu xìn sì gě yī mài bù dì yī jīn tóu xìn kě wàng zhǔ dǎo gě bìng hòu pái míng kàn dì qī
Public stock investment trust "four-in-one" step First Gold Investment Trust is expected to dominate the ranking after the merger
微视频|冀望米兰·一封家书——致河北运动员何凯乐
wēi shì pín 冀 wàng mǐ lán yī fēng jiā shū — — zhì hé běi yùn dòng yuán hé kǎi lè
Micro video|Hope Milan A letter from home - to Hebei athlete He Kaile
手机有望实现超长待机!中国团队有新突破
shǒu jī yǒu wàng shí xiàn chāo cháng dāi jī ! zhōng guó tuán duì yǒu xīn tū pò
Cell phones are expected to achieve ultra-long standby! Chinese team has a new breakthrough
“希望老百姓安宁幸福” 他的新春愿望和冬窝子的...
xī wàng lǎo bǎi xìng ān nìng xìng fú tā de xīn chūn yuàn wàng hé dōng wō zǐ de . . .
"I hope the people are peaceful and happy" His New Year's wish and the Winter Nest's...
...走军营丨北部战区陆军某边防旅巡逻艇中队守望北疆..
. . . zǒu jūn yíng 丨 běi bù zhàn ōu lù jūn mǒu biān fáng lǚ xún luó tǐng zhōng duì shǒu wàng běi jiāng . .
... The first time I saw a patrol boat in a border guard brigade in the Northern Theater of Operations, I saw a patrol boat in a border guard brigade in the Northern Theater of Operations...
治愈的希望有多大？
Zhìyù de xīwàng yǒu duōdà?
What hope is there of a cure?
你们还希望我们帮汤姆吗？
Nǐmen hái xīwàng wǒmen bāng Tāngmǔ ma?
Do you still want us to help Tom?
你希望汤姆能够做那件事，不是吗？
Nǐ xīwàng Tāngmǔ nénggòu zuò nà jiàn shì, bùshìma?
You hope that Tom will be able to do that, don't you?
没有欲望就等于拥有。
Méiyǒu yùwàng jiù děngyú yōngyǒu.
Not wanting is the same as having.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 望 (wàng) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 望 and 空?
How many strokes does 望 have?
What is the radical of 望?
What are common words containing 望?
What characters sound the same as 望 (wàng)?
Is 望 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 望 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.