to hope; hope
HSK level
希望 is written with 18 strokes (希: 7, 望: 11). The animation replays automatically.
希望 (xīwàng) functions as both a verb ('to hope') and a noun ('hope').
As a verb, it takes a clause as its object: 我希望明天不下雨 ('I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow') — note that English needs 'that' before the clause, but Chinese does not. As a noun, it refers to hope as a feeling or to a specific hoped-for thing: 这是我们最大的希望 ('this is our greatest hope').
希望 differs from English 'hope' in two useful ways: it cannot be used for a wish that's known to be impossible (Chinese reaches for 但愿 dànyuàn or 要是 for that), and it overlaps with 'wish' more than with 'want' — for 'I want to' use 想 (xiǎng), not 希望. The compound 失望 (shīwàng, 'to be disappointed') is its mirror.
Character by character
Memory hook: Both characters mean 'to look toward / hope for' — two hopeful gazes stacked together.
希望 appears in 5 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
我希望你能来。
Wǒ xīwàng nǐ néng lái.
I hope you can come.
neutral
希望明天天气好。
Xīwàng míngtiān tiānqì hǎo.
(I) hope the weather is good tomorrow.
spoken
孩子是我们的希望。
Háizi shì wǒmen de xīwàng.
Children are our hope.
neutral
他对生活充满希望。
Tā duì shēnghuó chōngmǎn xīwàng.
He is full of hope about life.
written
想 means 'to want to / would like to.' Use 想 for personal desires (我想去北京 'I want to go to Beijing'); use 希望 for hopes about outcomes, especially involving others (我希望你来北京 'I hope you come to Beijing').
盼望 means 'to look forward to / long for' — stronger and more emotional than 希望. Used for things you've been waiting for: 盼望已久 ('long-awaited'). 希望 is everyday neutral hope.
但愿 means 'if only / I wish' — used for wishes you suspect won't come true: 但愿如此 ('if only it were so'). 希望 is realistic hope; 但愿 is wishful.
愿望 is a noun only — 'a wish / a desire,' often a personal or aspirational one (生日愿望 'birthday wish'). 希望 can be a verb AND a noun, and feels more grounded.
希 alone is rarely used in modern Chinese; it's a bound character that mostly appears in 希望. Don't try to use 希 by itself.
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