愿

願

yuàn

原 + 心

HSK 3.0Level 5

Frequency#598

Definitions

yuàn (verb) to wish; to desire; to hope

yuàn (adjective) willing; ready

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 原 represents the sound. In simplified Chinese 愿 is also used to mean "hope; wish", while in traditional Chinese this meaning is written with a separate character 願.

Semantic: 心 Phonetic: 原

About

The traditional character "願" combines the phonetic element "原" with the semantic component "頁", which refers to the head, and it originally denoted the physical act of turning one's head or looking back. Over time, its meaning shifted from this concrete action to abstract mental states, specifically coming to represent a wish, desire, or intention. The simplified form "愿" retains the phonetic "原" but replaces "頁" with "心", meaning heart or mind, a structural alteration that underscores the character's association with internal volition and aligns its composition with its evolved semantic focus on wishing.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我愿意帮助你。

Wǒ yuànyì bāngzhù nǐ.

I am willing to help you.

我的愿望是旅行。

Wǒ de yuànwàng shì lǚxíng.

My wish is to travel.

她愿意参加比赛。

Tā yuànyì cānjiā bǐsài.

She is willing to participate in the competition.

我们都愿世界和平。

Wǒmen dōu yuàn shìjiè hépíng.

We all wish for world peace.

如果你愿意，我们可以一起学习。

Rúguǒ nǐ yuànyì, wǒmen kěyǐ yīqǐ xuéxí.

If you are willing, we can study together.

他表达了愿意合作的意愿。

Tā biǎodá le yuànyì hézuò de yìyuàn.

He expressed willingness to cooperate.

尽管困难重重，她仍愿坚持自己的梦想。

Jǐnguǎn kùnnan chóngchóng, tā réng yuàn jiānchí zìjǐ de mèngxiǎng.

Despite numerous difficulties, she is still willing to persist in her dream.

为了达成这个心愿，他付出了多年的努力。

Wèile dáchéng zhège xīnyuàn, tā fùchūle duō nián de nǔlì.

In order to achieve this wish, he has put in years of effort.

Related Characters

Component: 原

Component: 心

愿