HSK 6 · Emotions

向往 xiàngwǎng “to yearn for” in Chinese

Traditional 嚮往

What 向往 means

  1. to yearn for
  2. to look forward to

How to say 向往

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale向xiàng4th tone, falling
  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale往wǎng3rd tone, dipping

向往 in a sentence

  1. 每个人都向往幸福。

    Měi ge rén dōu xiàngwǎng xìngfú.

    Everyone longs for happiness.

    Sentence #5655357 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 向往 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 向 (xiàng) drawn as one shape
向xiàngtowards

向 is a single shape of 6 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

Memory aidDrawn from a house with a window 口: facing, towards.

The character 往 (wǎng) drawn as one shape
往wǎngto go

往 is a single shape of 8 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

How to write 向往

向 6 strokes · 往 8 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

向往 (xiàngwǎng) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 向往 (xiàngwǎng). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 向往

Words with 向

向xiàng · direction方向fāngxiàng · direction向来xiànglái · always外向wàixiàng · outgoing向导xiàngdǎo · guide导向dǎoxiàng · orientation倾向qīngxiàng · tendency意向yìxiàng · intention一向yíxiàng · always欣欣向荣xīnxīnxiàngróng · flourishing

Words with 往

往wǎng · to go (in a direction)往往wǎngwǎng · usually交往jiāowǎng · to associate with往返wǎngfǎn · to go back and forth往常wǎngcháng · usually (in the past)往事wǎngshì · the past以往yǐwǎng · in the past礼尚往来lǐshàngwǎnglái · courtesy calls for reciprocity一如既往yìrújìwǎng · as always

More words: Emotions & Attitudes

无动于衷wúdòngyúzhōng · unmoved无精打采wújīngdǎcǎi · listless无忧无虑wúyōuwúlǜ · carefree嫌xián · to dislike泄气xièqì · to lose heart心甘情愿xīngānqíngyuàn · willingly兴高采烈xìnggāocǎiliè · in high spirits兴致勃勃xìngzhìbóbó · full of enthusiasm

FAQs

向往 (xiàngwǎng) means “to yearn for” or “to look forward to”. It is an HSK 6 word.
Say it xiàngwǎng: xiàng with a 4th tone, then wǎng with a 3rd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 向往 is written 嚮往. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type xiangwang with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 向往 from the suggestions. Typing xiangwang into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
向往 is an HSK 6 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Turn words into conversations

A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.

Book a free intro call

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.