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欲

Mandarin · pinyin yù

to wish for
to desire
variant of 慾 yù

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欲: yù · desire, want, long for; intend

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4 · yu4

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1character link131same-tone records1source reference

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

juk6

Cantonese word readings for 欲. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

wish; desire
to wish; to desire; to want
about to

character · Etymology 3

(Eastern Min, Hokkien, Hainanese, Puxian Min) to want (to do)
(Hokkien) to wish to have or keep
(Eastern Min, Hokkien, Puxian Min) about to
(Hokkien, Hainanese, Puxian Min) if (an adverb expressing assumptions)
(Puxian Min) Used to express the coexistence of several conditions or qualities; both ... and ...
(Puxian Min) but; on the other hand
(Puxian Min) almost; nearly

character · Etymology 4

(Eastern Min, Southern Min) alternative form of 愛 /爱 — (Eastern Min, Hokkien) to like
(Eastern Min, Southern Min) alternative form of 愛 /爱 — (Teochew) to want (an object)
(Eastern Min, Southern Min) alternative form of 愛 /爱 — (Eastern Min, Hokkien, Teochew) to want (to do); to wish
(Eastern Min, Southern Min) alternative form of 愛 /爱 — (Hokkien, Teochew) to need to; must
(Eastern Min, Southern Min) alternative form of 愛 /爱 — (Teochew) about to
(Eastern Min, Southern Min) alternative form of 愛 /爱 — (Eastern Min, Hokkien) to be prone; to be easy to

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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