用意

• Pinyin: yòng yì
• Hanzi breakdown: 用 = 甬 (vessel in use — apply, purpose); 意 = 心 + 音 (heart + sound — what the heart intends to express)

Meaning

Intention; purpose; underlying motive. The real reason or aim behind an action, especially one that may not be immediately apparent.

Often carries a slight implication that the intent requires interpretation or may be concealed. Common in analytical, diplomatic, and literary contexts: 用意何在 (what is the intention?), 用意深远 (far-reaching in intent), 良苦用意 (well-meaning but laborious intent — painstaking good intentions). Distinguishable from 意图 (intent — more neutral) by its slightly more evaluative tone.

Examples

1. 他在这个敏感时点发表讲话，用意不只在字面内容，更是在向多方释放复杂的政治信号。 He spoke at this sensitive moment; his intention was not just the literal content, but also to send complex political signals to many sides.
2. 这部以三十年代上海为背景的爱情片，看似普通，细读才发现处处暗含对现实的批判，用意远比表面复杂。 This love film set in 1930s Shanghai seems ordinary, but a close reading reveals criticism of reality everywhere; its intention is far more complex than it looks.
3. 父亲临终前绕过长子把企业传给次子，家人猜了多年，直到律师公开那封十年前的信，大家才懂他的良苦用意。 Before he died, the father bypassed the eldest son and passed the company to the younger son. The family guessed for years, and only after the lawyer revealed a letter written ten years earlier did everyone understand his good intention.

Usage Guide

Context: diplomacy, analysis, literature, law

Tone: analytical

Do Say

• 这位国际法学者梳理了条约第七条的修改档案，揭示其看似技术性的文字背后，各缔约国不同的政治用意。(This international law scholar sorted through the draft records of Article 7 of the treaty and revealed the different political intentions of the contracting states behind its seemingly technical wording.)
• 辩方称，被告签协议时的真实用意不是欺骗投资者，而是判断失误；这更像商业过失，不是刑事故意。(The defence said the defendant's true intention when signing the agreement was not to deceive investors, but a misjudgement; this was more like a business mistake than criminal intent.)

Don't Say

• 我做饭的用意是吃饭 — 用意 implies an intent that requires interpretation or has significance beyond the obvious; for a simple, self-evident purpose, use 目的 or 是为了; 用意 would sound oddly weighty for cooking a meal

Origin & History

用 (use/apply — practical application) + 意 (meaning/intent — 心 heart + 音 sound/expression, what the heart intends to express)

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal