Meaning of 失望
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- disappointed
- to lose hope
- to despair
How to use 失望
失望 describes feeling let down when something falls short of what you hoped for. It works as an adjective with 很 or 太, and you often say 对 someone or something 失望. Example: 我对这个结果很失望。(Wǒ duì zhège jiéguǒ hěn shīwàng.) I am very disappointed with this result.
失 (shī) means to lose, and 望 (wàng) is the hope you look toward, as in 希望 (xīwàng). Lose your hope and you feel 失望 (shīwàng), disappointed.
Common mistake: Learners often say 我失望你 for "I am disappointed in you." Natural Chinese puts the person after 对: 我对你很失望 (wǒ duì nǐ hěn shīwàng). Also keep 失 (shī) in the first tone, and do not confuse it with 夫 (fū) or 先 (xiān).
失望 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
失 shī · to lose · 5 strokes
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望 wàng · full moon · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 失望.
| 希望 | xīwàng | to hope; a hope; a wish |
| 失去 | shīqù | to lose |
| 消失 | xiāoshī | to disappear; to fade away |
| 愿望 | yuànwàng | desire; wish |
| 失败 | shībài | to be defeated; to lose |
| 失业 | shīyè | unemployment; to lose one's job |
| 看望 | kànwàng | to pay a visit to; to see (sb) |
| 渴望 | kěwàng | to thirst for; to long for |
| 损失 | sǔnshī | loss; damage |
| 期望 | qīwàng | to have expectations; to earnestly hope |
| 绝望 | juéwàng | to despair; to give up all hope |
| 失误 | shīwù | lapse; mistake |
Questions about 失望
What does 失望 mean?
失望 (shīwàng) means "disappointed; to lose hope" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 失望?
失望 is made of 2 characters: 失 (5 strokes), 望 (11 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 失望 an HSK word?
Yes. 失望 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say something is disappointing, not that I am disappointed?
Use 让人失望 (ràng rén shīwàng), literally "makes people disappointed." For example, 这部电影很让人失望 means "This movie is really disappointing."
What is the difference between 失望 and 绝望?
失望 is the everyday word for being let down or disappointed. 绝望 (juéwàng) is much stronger and means complete despair with no hope left.