Meaning of 渴望
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to thirst for
- to long for
How to use 渴望
渴望 expresses a strong, deep desire, stronger than 希望 (xīwàng). It often takes a noun or a verb phrase as its object, and it can also be used as a noun. Example: 他渴望自由。(Tā kěwàng zìyóu.) He longs for freedom.
渴 (kě) means thirsty, and it has the water radical 氵 on the left. 望 (wàng) means to gaze into the distance, so 渴望 is like a thirsty person staring at faraway water and longing for it.
Common mistake: Learners often use 渴望 for small everyday wishes, like wanting coffee. For ordinary hopes, 希望 (xīwàng) or 想 (xiǎng) sounds more natural. Also, 渴 (kě) has the water radical 氵 and should not be confused with 喝 (hē, to drink), which has the mouth radical 口.
渴望 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.
渴 kě · thirsty · 12 strokes
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望 wàng · full moon · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 渴望.
| 希望 | xīwàng | to hope; a hope; a wish |
| 愿望 | yuànwàng | desire; wish |
| 失望 | shīwàng | disappointed; to lose hope |
| 看望 | kànwàng | to pay a visit to; to see (sb) |
| 期望 | qīwàng | to have expectations; to earnestly hope |
| 绝望 | juéwàng | to despair; to give up all hope |
| 盼望 | pànwàng | to hope for; to look forward to |
| 望见 | wàngjiàn | to espy; to spot |
| 指望 | zhǐwàng | to count on; to hope for; prospect; hope |
| 欲望 | yùwàng | desire; longing; appetite; craving |
| 望远镜 | wàngyuǎnjìng | telescope (CL:部[bu4]); binoculars (CL:副[fu4]) |
| 探望 | tànwàng | to visit; to call on sb |
Questions about 渴望
What does 渴望 mean?
渴望 (kěwàng) means "to thirst for; to long for" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 渴望?
渴望 is made of 2 characters: 渴 (12 strokes), 望 (11 strokes). That is 23 strokes in total.
Is 渴望 an HSK word?
Yes. 渴望 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 渴望 and 期望?
渴望 (kěwàng) is an intense personal longing for something you lack. 期望 (qīwàng) means having expectations, often of other people, as in 父母对孩子的期望 (fùmǔ duì háizi de qīwàng), parents' expectations of their children.
Can 渴望 be modified by adverbs like 很 or 非常?
Yes. Because it describes a feeling, you can say 非常渴望 (fēicháng kěwàng) or 十分渴望 (shífēn kěwàng) to stress how strong the desire is. It can also appear as a noun, as in 对知识的渴望 (duì zhīshi de kěwàng), a thirst for knowledge.