Meaning of 期望
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to have expectations
- to earnestly hope
- expectation
- hope
How to use 期望
期望 works as a verb or a noun and sounds a bit formal, often about hopes others place on you or long-term goals. It often appears in phrases like 对……有期望 or 辜负期望 (let down expectations). Example: 父母对他期望很高。(Fùmǔ duì tā qīwàng hěn gāo.) His parents have high expectations of him.
期 (qī) is the 期 in 星期 (xīngqī, week), a set period of time, and 望 (wàng) means to look toward. Together, 期望 is looking ahead to a future time and hoping something good will happen then.
Common mistake: Learners often use 期望 for small everyday wishes, like hoping it does not rain, where 希望 (xīwàng) sounds far more natural. Also keep 期 in the first tone, qī, not qí.
期望 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.
期 qī · a period of time · 12 strokes
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望 wàng · full moon · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 期望.
| 星期 | xīngqī | week; day of the week |
| 日期 | rìqī | date |
| 星期天 | xīngqītiān | Sunday |
| 星期日 | xīngqīrì | Sunday |
| 假期 | jiàqī | holiday period; vacation |
| 学期 | xuéqī | term; semester |
| 希望 | xīwàng | to hope; a hope; a wish |
| 愿望 | yuànwàng | desire; wish |
| 长期 | chángqī | long-term; for a protracted period |
| 定期 | dìngqī | at set dates; at regular intervals |
| 短期 | duǎnqī | short-term |
| 近期 | jìnqī | near in time; in the near future |
Questions about 期望
What does 期望 mean?
期望 (qīwàng) means "to have expectations; to earnestly hope" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 期望?
期望 is made of 2 characters: 期 (12 strokes), 望 (11 strokes). That is 23 strokes in total.
Is 期望 an HSK word?
Yes. 期望 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 期望 and 希望?
希望 is the everyday word for hope or wish and fits almost any situation. 期望 is more formal and suggests serious expectations, often from one person toward another, like parents toward children.
How do you say 'live up to expectations' with 期望?
You can say 不辜负期望 (bù gūfù qīwàng), meaning not to let down someone's expectations. The opposite is 辜负了期望 (gūfù le qīwàng), to have let them down.