Chinese word

欲望

Pronunciation

Pinyinyù wàng

Meaning

  • noundesire

Example

他的欲望很强，什么都想要。tā de yù wàng hěn qiáng shén me dōu xiǎng yào

He has a strong desire and wants everything.

Illustration for 欲望 (desire)

More examples

他努力克制自己的欲望。tā nǔ lì kè zhì zì jǐ de yù wàng

He worked hard to restrain his desire.

Core concept

A powerful inner pull toward something wanted, from a concrete object to a life goal or intimate feeling.

Common phrases

  • 强烈的欲望qiáng liè de yù wàng

    intense desire

  • 满足欲望mǎn zú yù wàng

    fulfill a desire

  • 抑制欲望yì zhì yù wàng

    restrain desire

Similar words

希望xī wàng: A hopeful expectation about what may happen in the future.
愿望yuàn wàng: A deeply held wish to achieve or receive something, suitable for formal settings.
欲求yù qiú: A felt physical or mental need that creates an urge for something.
渴望kě wàng: A very strong longing for something that feels urgently important.

Definition in Chinese

强烈想要某物或达到某种状态的心理或冲动，可指物质的、情感的、性的或事业上的欲求。qiáng liè xiǎng yào mǒu wù huò dá dào móu zhǒng zhuàng tài de xīn lǐ huò chōng dòng kě zhǐ wù zhì dì qíng gǎn de xìng de huò shì yè shàng de yù qiú

Word origin

欲望 (yùwàng, "desire") combines 欲 (yù, "want") with 望 (wàng, "look toward; hope"), joining wanting with the mind's focus on what it seeks.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, context determines whether this word concerns money, success, affection, pleasure, or sexual desire, so it is not automatically sexual.

Other meanings

  • urgenoun
  • wishnoun
  • sexual desirenoun
  • ambitionnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word