如愿以偿

• Pinyin: rú yuàn yǐ cháng
• Hanzi breakdown: 如 = follow/as; 愿 = 原 + 心 (original heart = wish/desire); 以 = by means of; 偿 = 亻+ 尝 (person + to taste = to repay/fulfil)

Meaning

To have one's wishes fulfilled; to get what one has longed for. Describes finally achieving a long-held desire or goal after effort or patient waiting.

A four-character idiom (chengyu) used to describe the satisfaction of achieving something one has desired or strived for. Carries a sense of deep fulfilment and emotional gratification. Can describe small personal desires or significant life goals. Often used in positive narrative and congratulatory contexts.

Examples

1. 经过十年的艰苦奋斗，他终于如愿以偿地创办了自己的科技公司，实现了人生中最大的梦想。 After ten years of grueling effort, he finally fulfilled his wish by founding his own tech company, achieving the biggest dream of his life.
2. 她从小便立志成为一名医生，如今终于如愿以偿，穿上了白大褂，开始了救死扶伤的职业生涯。 She had aspired to be a doctor since childhood, and now she has finally fulfilled her wish—putting on a white coat and beginning a career devoted to saving lives.
3. 这位收藏家历经数十年的寻觅，终于如愿以偿地找到了那件失传已久的珍贵瓷器。 After decades of searching, the collector finally got what he had long hoped for and found that long-lost, precious piece of porcelain.

Usage Guide

Context: personal achievement, narrative, congratulations

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 经过长达五年的等待与努力，他终于如愿以偿地拿到了移民签证，得以与海外的家人团聚。(After five years of waiting and effort, he finally had his wish fulfilled and received his immigration visa, allowing him to reunite with his family abroad.)
• 祝你在新的一年里一切顺利，心想事成，如愿以偿！(Wishing you smooth sailing in the new year — may all your hopes come true and your wishes be fulfilled!)

Don't Say

• 他如愿以偿地吃了晚饭 — 如愿以偿 implies significant desire or effort fulfilled; applying it to trivial everyday acts sounds exaggerated; use 顺利地 instead

Origin & History

如愿 (as one wished) + 以偿 (compensated/fulfilled) — to be compensated exactly as one had wished

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal