欲望

• Pinyin: yù wàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 欲 = 谷 + 欠 (hollow/valley + yawn — the feeling of empty longing); 望 = 亡 + 月 + 王 (gone + moon + king — gazing into the distance with longing)

Meaning

Desire; craving; appetite; longing. A strong feeling of wanting something — whether material, sensual, or psychological.

Encompasses a wide spectrum: from basic biological drives (食欲 — appetite, 性欲 — sexual desire) to higher psychological aspirations (权力欲望 — desire for power, 知识欲望 — thirst for knowledge). In Chinese philosophical discourse (Confucian, Buddhist, Daoist), 欲望 is often discussed as something that must be managed, restrained, or transcended. In modern usage, also appears in positive contexts: 创作欲望 (creative urge), 探索欲望 (exploratory drive).

Examples

1. 弗洛伊德认为，无意识的欲望推动心理活动，艺术和梦境则是其主要出口。 Freud believed that unconscious desire drives mental activity, while art and dreams are its main outlets.
2. 佛教批判欲望，不是为了禁欲，而是指出执着于短暂满足，才是痛苦根源。 Buddhism criticizes desire not to promote asceticism, but to show that clinging to brief satisfaction is the root of suffering.
3. 当代消费社会常借广告和社交媒体不断放大欲望，把需求变成无止境的渴望。 Modern consumer society often uses advertising and social media to keep expanding desire, turning needs into endless longing.

Usage Guide

Context: philosophy, psychology, literature, consumer culture

Tone: reflective

Do Say

• 研究常发现，欲望一旦被满足，并不会消失，反而会催生更高一层的新欲望。(Studies often find that once desire is satisfied, it does not disappear; instead, it creates a new, higher level of desire.)
• 这部小说借官场腐败、商贾逐利与民众求安，揭示北宋末年各阶层欲望如何在王朝覆灭前交织成网。(This novel uses official corruption, merchants' pursuit of profit, and the people's desire for stability to reveal how the desires of different social classes interweave into a web before the fall of the Northern Song dynasty.)

Don't Say

• 我有欲望吃点东西 — 欲望 as a standalone noun for casual food cravings is overly philosophical; say 我想吃点东西 (I want to eat something), 我有点馋 (I'm craving something), or 我有食欲 (I have appetite) instead

Origin & History

欲 (desire/want — 谷valley/hollow + 欠yawn, the hollow need that makes one open the mouth in longing) + 望 (to long for/hope — 亡gone + 月moon + 王king, originally: gazing at the moon from afar, longing). Together: desire and longing.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal