to hope, to look towards, full moon
English · to hope, to look towards, full moon
to hope or expect; to gaze into the distance
- 我希望你能来。Wǒ xīwàng nǐ néng lái.I hope you can come.
- 大家抬头望天空。Dàjiā táitóu wàng tiānkōng.Everyone raised their heads to gaze at the sky.
Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 11 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the upper components compact and allow the lower component (月) to extend gracefully downward to anchor the character.
Radical 月 · Moon Radical (moon, month)
Semantic Clue (形旁): 月 (represents the full moon viewed in the distance)
Phonetic Clue (声旁): 亡 (original sound: wáng)
A person standing on top (亡 / 𠂉+𠃋) stretches their neck, holding up a banner or looking out for someone, gazing toward the distant moon (月).
- 亡 phonetic clue providing the 'wang' sound
- 月 semantic clue relating to the bright full moon and night gazing
Origin: Oracle bone scripts depict a person standing tall on legs with a prominent eye or head, looking into the distance, later combined with the moon (月) to denote looking at the bright full moon or night sky.
Semantic Evolution: Originally meant to look into the distance or observe the full moon. Over time, it extended metaphorically to 'looking forward to', 'hoping', and 'expecting'.
- The character is anciently tied to lunar observations, specifically the 15th day of the lunar month when the moon is full.
You are standing on a hill after someone has fled (亡), looking up at the bright full moon (月) and hoping (望) they will return safely.
wàngConfusing 望 (wàng, to hope) with 忘 (wàng, to forget) because they share the exact same pinyin and tone, differing only by their bottom component (月 vs 心).
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.