How to say “desire” in Chinese
desire, craving
“Desire” in Chinese is 欲望, yù wàng: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
欲望 is read yù wàng: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 谷 hints at the reading, as it also does in 浴 yù. On the right, 欠 “yawn”, here meaning “to lack”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “欲望”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 欲望. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 人要懂得控制自己的欲望rényàodǒngdekòngzhìzìjǐdeyùwàngPeople should know how to curb their desires.
More words from the lesson “The self: setbacks, lessons, dedication”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “desire” in Chinese?
“Desire” in Chinese is 欲望, pinyin yùwàng.
What does 欲望 mean?
欲望 (yùwàng) means “desire, craving”.
How do you write 欲望?
欲望 is 2 characters: 欲 (yù) — desire; want; 望 (wàng) — look afar; hope. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 欲望?
欲望 is read yùwàng. Tones: yù — fourth tone, wàng — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“desire” in the lesson “The self: setbacks, lessons, dedication”
This word is from the topic “Judgments and values” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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