The word 希望 is formed through the conceptual combination of two individual characters, each contributing a layer of meaning to create a unified idea. The first character, 希 (xī), carries the core notion of "to hope for" or "to look forward to", implying a desire or yearning. The second character, 望 (wàng), originally picturing a person standing on earth gazing at the moon, means "to look into the distance" or "to gaze toward", conveying a sense of anticipation and forward-looking vision. When fused, they create a compound where 望 visually and notionally extends and reinforces the abstract longing of 希, resulting in the complete meaning of "hope", an earnest, forward-directed desire for something to happen or be true.