How to Write 望 (wàng) — Meaning “To look; to hope; full moon”

Picture a king (王) standing on a platform, looking at the moon (月) that has just appeared (亡 suggests something vanishing or appearing). This image combines the ideas of looking upward and hoping for something in the distance.

Write the top part 亡 first (dot, horizontal, vertical turning hook), then 月 in the middle (left vertical, horizontal fold hook, two inner horizontal lines), and finally 王 at the bottom. A common mistake is making the 月 too tall or the 王 too wide; keep the overall shape balanced and slightly tall.

朐 (qú) is rare and means 'dried meat' or a type of plant, while 朔 (shuò) means 'new moon' or 'first day of the month'. Both contain 月, but 望 specifically adds 亡 and 王 to express 'looking' and 'hope', whereas 朔 has 屰 (reverse) on top. In modern usage, only 望 is common for emotions, not celestial terms.

望 is used in words like 希望 (xīwàng, 'hope') and 愿望 (yuànwàng, 'wish') to express desire or looking forward. It also appears in 望见 (wàngjiàn, 'see from a distance') for physical sight. Culturally, 望 can refer to the 15th day of a lunar month (full moon), as in 望月 (wàngyuè, 'full moon').

Common words containing 望 include: 希望 (xī wàng) — to hope; hope; 望见 (wàng jiàn) — To see from a distance; 愿望 (yuàn wàng) — Wish; desire; aspiration..