Taxonomy of meanings for 願:　　

  • yuàn (OC: ŋɡons MC: ŋʷiɐn) 魚怨切 去 廣韻：【欲也念也思也説文云大頭也魚怨切四 】
  • HOPE
    • nabirrealiswhatr one would have wanted to V
    • nab.post-Nhope
    • vt[0]oS(I) hope that S 願君熟圖之; also contrafactual wishes: Latin: utinam, I wish I could
    • vt[oN]be full of things ????
    • vt+V[0]hope that; wish one could; wish one could have; aspire to; would like to
    • vt+V[0]V=passivehope to be V-ed
    • vtoNgraded(very much etc) hope for (something) 願之，　臣之所甚願
    • vtoNPab{S}hope that S 願陛下之幸熟圖之
    • vtoSI hope that S; I wish it were possible that S
    • vtt(oN.)+V[0]hope that the contextually determinate N will V
    • vadVfull of hopeLZ
    • vt[0]+V[0]politeI hope to V; it is my hope that I may VCH
    • generalised> DESIRE
      • vt(0)oSI would like that the contextually determinate person could V
      • vt[0]+V[0]I wish I could
      • vt+V[0](polite) wish that one could V
      • vt(0)oSexplicit subjectI would like that the explicit subject of S could VDS
      • vtoNPab{S}wish that SDS
      • grammaticalised:jussive> IMPERATIVE MARKER
        • vt[0]+V[0][I] hope [you] will> do (This meaning hard to distinguish from HOPE.)
      • declarative> OATH
        • nabactoath, vow
      • intensitive> YEARN
        • vtoNhope to see> yearn after
        • vt+V[0]yearn toCH
        • vt(oN)yearn after the contextually determinate NLZ
        • nabpsychyearningLZ
      • counterfactual> UTINAM
        • vt+V[0]counterfactualI wish that
        • vtoNcounterfactualwish (unrealistically) forCH
  • nil (OC: ŋʷans MC: ŋʷiɐn) 魚怨切 去 廣韻：【同願説文云顚頂也 】

    Additional information about 願

    說文解字: 【願】，大頭也。从頁、原聲。 【魚怨切】

      Criteria
    • HOPE

      1. The general word for a hope (rather than a wish) yuàn 願 (ant. kǒng 恐 "be very much afraid that"), but the word is rather formal and often tends to express a hope regarding what someone else (typically of higher status) might do. 2. Yù 欲 (ant. kǒng 恐？ “be terrified by the thought of", is very commonly used as a general word for an emotionally intense hope that is currently entertained. (The cases where the word clearly invites translation as "hope" and cannot be rendered as "desire" or "wish" are in the hundreds.) 3. Jì 冀 (ant. jù 懼 "fear") typically refers to an unrealistic or distant precarious hope concerning one's own future or other person's future actions. 4. Wàng 望 "look forward to" refers to a hope regarding realistic external events, and not necessary actions by any person, and the word tends to refer to a more realistic concrete hope and expectation than the equally current yuàn 願.

      5. Qī 期 is a definitive realistic hope, often related to one's own future actions.

      6. Xìng 幸 "hope to be so lucky to find that" (ant. wèi 畏 "fear") is part of polite court speech and refers to a high hope presented as not strongly realistic.

      NB: Pàn 盼 is post-Han.

    • UTINAM

      It will be important to study the history of counterfactual desires in China. The relevant word is 願 "wish that" for which counterfactual usages need to be carefully analysed and collected.

    • DILIGENT

      1. The current word for (typically respectful) meticulous and almost fastidious diligence is jǐn 謹 (ant. màn 慢 "be neglectful").

      2. Shèn 慎 (ant. hū 忽 "be neglectful") "be careful and cautious" emphasises not only careful attention but also wariness of possible danger.

      3. Lì 力 emphasises total devotion of all one's physical and mental effort, and in this meaning the word is normally adverbial.

      4. Qín 勤 (ant. duò 惰 "without proper strenuous and dutiful effort") emphasises dutiful mental effort.

      5. Quàn 勸 focusses on the externally induced enthusiasm with which something is done.

      6. Miǎn 勉 focusses on externally or internally generated extraordinary enthusiasm for a task.

      7. Què 愨 emphasises the moral appropriateness of the diligence in question.

      8. Yuàn 愿 (not to be confused with yuàn 願 "hope") is an elevated rare word referring to respectful diligence of the people.

      9. Jìng 敬 often refers to respectful diligence in action imposed by one's respect rather than to the attitude or the explicit direct show of respect as such.

      Word relations
    • Epithet: (HOPE)竊/DARE
    • Contrast: (HOPE)欲 / 慾/DESIRE The dominant standard word is yù 欲 (ant. fú 弗 "refused to, would not") which refers to any concrete - and typically temporary - intention or desire of any kind, irrespective how strongly motivated it is. 欲戰 "wants to fight".