盼

pàn

分 + 目

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

pàn (verb) to hope for; to long for; to expect

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 目 represents the meaning and 分 represents the sound.

Semantic: 目 Phonetic: 分

About

盼 is a phono-semantic compound: 目 (mù) gives the semantic category of 'eye', while 分 (fēn) provides the sound. In its earliest texts, it described the action of looking around or eyes with a striking black-and-white clarity. Over time, the literal gaze shifted to a figurative one, coming to mean 'to hope,' 'expect,' or 'long for', as if fixing one's eyes on a future event.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我盼着好消息。

Wǒ pànzhe hǎo xiāoxi.

I am looking forward to good news.

孩子们盼着过年。

Háizimen pànzhe guònián.

The children look forward to the New Year.

我们盼望春天到来。

Wǒmen pànwàng chūntiān dàolái.

We hope for spring to arrive.

他期盼着你的回复。

Tā qīpànzhe nǐ de huífù.

He is looking forward to your reply.

人民盼和平已久。

Rénmín pàn hépíng yǐ jiǔ.

The people have longed for peace for a long time.

她日夜盼着儿子归来。

Tā rìyè pànzhe érzi guīlái.

She day and night hopes for her son to return.

投资者盼市场稳定增长。

Tóuzīzhě pàn shìchǎng wěndìng zēngzhǎng.

Investors hope for the market to stabilize and grow.

全国人民盼望着祖国统一。

Quánguó rénmín pànwàngzhe zǔguó tǒngyī.

The people of the whole country look forward to the unification of the motherland.

Related Characters

Component: 分

Component: 目

盼