HSK · Level 77
45 words
Chinese word
但愿
Pronunciation
Pinyindàn yuàn
Meaning
- adverbhopefully
Example
但愿他没事。dàn yuàn tā méi shì
Hopefully he is all right.
More examples
但愿成真。dàn yuàn chéng zhēn
Hopefully it comes true.
Core concept
A brief wish comes first, pointing toward a future result that remains outside the speaker's control.
Common phrases
但愿如此dàn yuàn rú cǐ
hopefully that's the case
但愿成真dàn yuàn chéng zhēn
hopefully it comes true
但愿无恙dàn yuàn wú yàng
hopefully all is well
Similar words
愿yuàn: Conveys a traditional written wish for something desired to happen.
Definition in Chinese
表示愿望或祝愿，希望某事发生或不发生，常用于句首以引出对结果的祈求或祝愿。biǎo shì yuàn wàng huò zhù yuàn xī wàng mǒu shì fā shēng huò bù fā shēng cháng yòng yú jù shǒu yǐ yǐn chū duì jié guǒ de qí qiú huò zhù yuàn
Word origin
The phrase combines 但 (dàn, "only") with 愿 (yuàn, "wish"), so its literal structure presents one wished-for possibility as the outcome that matters.
Usage tips
- Unlike an ordinary prediction, this sentence opener marks the next clause as a hoped-for result, so it does not say that the result is likely or true.
Other meanings
- wishverb