欲

See also: 慾

欲 U+6B32, 欲 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6B32 ← 欱 [U+6B31] CJK Unified Ideographs 欳 → [U+6B33]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

欲 (Kangxi radical 76, 欠+7, 11 strokes, cangjie input 金口弓人 (CRNO), four-corner 8768₂, composition ⿰谷欠)

Derived characters

• 慾 螸

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 567, character 36
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 16080
• Dae Jaweon: page 956, character 10
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2140, character 7
• Unihan data for U+6B32

---

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 欲
Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (谷) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
螸	*lo
裕	*loɡs
容	*loŋ
溶	*loŋ, *loŋʔ
鎔	*loŋ
蓉	*loŋ
傛	*loŋ, *loŋʔ
褣	*loŋ
搈	*loŋ
瑢	*loŋ
嵱	*loŋ
熔	*loŋ
榕	*loŋ
塎	*loŋʔ
谷	*ɦkroːɡ, *kloːɡ, *ɡ·loːɡ
唂	*kloːɡ
焀	*ɡloːɡ
俗	*ljoɡ
欲	*loɡ
浴	*loɡ
鵒	*loɡ
峪	*ɦkloːɡ
鋊	*loɡ
輍	*loɡ
慾	*loɡ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *loɡ) : phonetic 谷 (OC *ɦkroːɡ, *kloːɡ, *ɡ·loːɡ) + semantic 欠.

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		欲
alternative forms		𡟔 俗

Sino-Tibetan. Compare Burmese လို (lui, “to want; to desire”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Alternatively, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *r-ju(w) (“to ask; to request”), whence Tibetan ཞུ (zhu, “to request”) (ibid.).

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 欲

1. wish; desire

   口腹之欲  ―  kǒufùzhīyù  ―  desire to eat

   控制欲  ―  kòngzhì yù  ―  desire to control

   權力欲／权力欲  ―  quánlì yù  ―  desire for power

2. to wish; to desire; to want

   • 工欲善其事，必先利其器。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Gōng yù shàn qí shì, bì xiān lì qí qì. [Pinyin]

     If a workman wishes to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools.

   • 如閣下欲以電郵聯絡政府資訊中心，請透過網頁：XYZ傳送問題。 [MSC, trad.]
     如阁下欲以电邮联络政府资讯中心，请透过网页：XYZ传送问题。 [MSC, simp.]

     Rú géxià yù yǐ diànyóu liánluò zhèngfǔ zīxùn zhōngxīn, qǐng tòuguò wǎngyè: XYZ chuánsòng wèntí. [Pinyin]

     Please send your enquiries and suggestions to the Public Information Centre by email via the homepage: XYZ.

3. about to

   搖搖欲墜／摇摇欲坠  ―  yáoyáoyùzhuì  ―  tottering (literally, “shaking or swaying as if about to collapse”)

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 欲 – see 慾 (“desire; lust”). (This character is the simplified and variant traditional form of 慾).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Etymology 3

simp. and trad.		欲
alternative forms		覓／觅 卜 要 勃 Min Dong 剝／剥 Min Dong

From the grammaticalization of 發 (OC *pad, “to send out; to go forth; to proceed”) (Tu, 2017).

Pronunciation

• Eastern Min (BUC): buóh
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): beh / berh / boeh / boh

---

• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: buóh
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /puɔʔ²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Yilan, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Hsinchu, Taichung, Philippines, Jinjiang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: beh
    • Tâi-lô: beh
    • Phofsit Daibuun: beq
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Tainan, Kaohsiung): /beʔ³²/
    • IPA (Yilan): /beʔ²/
    • IPA (Philippines, Jinjiang): /beʔ⁵/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Lukang, Sanxia, Kinmen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: berh
    • Tâi-lô: berh
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Lukang): /bəʔ⁵/
    • IPA (Kinmen): /bəʔ³²/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: boeh
    • Tâi-lô: bueh
    • Phofsit Daibuun: boeq
    • IPA (Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung): /bueʔ³²/
  • (Hokkien: Magong)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: boh
    • Tâi-lô: boh
    • Phofsit Daibuun: boiq

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 欲

1. (Eastern Min, Hokkien, Hainanese) to want (to do)

   你欲佮我去圖書館無？ [Hokkien, trad.]
   你欲佮我去图书馆无？ [Hokkien, simp.]

   Lí beh kah góa khì tô͘-su-koán bô? [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

   Do you want to go to the library with me?

2. (Eastern Min, Hokkien) about to

   欲落雨矣，咱著出去收衫。 [Hokkien, trad.]
   欲落雨矣，咱着出去收衫。 [Hokkien, simp.]

   Beh lo̍h-hō͘--ah, lán tio̍h chhut-khì siu-saⁿ. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

   It's about to rain! Let's go out to bring in the laundry.

   • 天烏烏，欲落雨。 [Hokkien, trad.]
     天乌乌，欲落雨。 [Hokkien, simp.]

     From: 《天烏烏》 (Hokkien nursery rhyme)

     Thiⁿ o͘-o͘, beh lo̍h-hō͘. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

     The sky is dark; it seems like it will rain.

3. (Hokkien, Hainanese) if

   欲我，我就會較早睏。 [Hokkien, trad.]
   欲我，我就会较早困。 [Hokkien, simp.]

   Beh góa, góa tō ē khah-chá khùn. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

   If I were you, I would've slept earlier.

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 要 (“to want (to do something)”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		欲1
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		要, 欲1
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	要
	Taiwan	要, 想
	Malaysia	要
	Singapore	要
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	要
Central Plains Mandarin	Xi'an	要
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	要
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	要
	Wuhan	要
	Guilin	要
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	要
	Hefei	要
Cantonese	Guangzhou	要, 想
	Hong Kong	要, 想
	Shenzhen (Dapeng)	愛
	Yangjiang	愛
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	要, 想, 愛
	Singapore (Guangfu)	要, 想
Gan	Nanchang	要
Hakka	Meixian	愛
	Longmen (Luxi Bendihua)	愛
	Wuhua (Meilin)	愛
	Zijin	愛
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	愛
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	愛
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	愛
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	愛
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	愛
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	愛, 討
	Kuching (Hepo)	愛
Jin	Taiyuan	要
Northern Min	Jian'ou	讓
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	欲3
Southern Min	Xiamen	欲3
	Quanzhou	欲3
	Jinjiang	欲3
	Zhangzhou	欲3
	Taipei	欲3
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	欲3
	Kaohsiung	欲3
	Yilan	欲3
	Changhua (Lukang)	欲3
	Taichung	欲3
	Tainan	欲3
	Hsinchu	欲3
	Kinmen	欲3
	Penghu (Magong)	欲3
	Penang (Hokkien)	愛
	Singapore (Hokkien)	愛, 欲3
	Manila (Hokkien)	欲3, 愛
	Medan (Hokkien)	愛
	Chaozhou	愛
	Shantou	愛
	Haifeng	愛
	Singapore (Teochew)	愛
	Wenchang	欲3
	Qionghai	欲3
	Singapore (Hainanese)	欲3
Wu	Shanghai	要
	Suzhou	要
	Wenzhou	愛
	Lishui	樂
Xiang	Changsha	要
	Shuangfeng	要

Etymology 4

simp. and trad.		欲

Pronunciation

• Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): ain³

---

• Southern Min
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ain³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: àiⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ãĩ²¹³/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 欲 (Teochew)

1. (deprecated template usage) Alternative form of 愛／爱 (ain3).
   1. to need; to want (an object)
   2. to want (to do)
   3. to need to; must
   4. about to

See also

• 要 (yào)

References

• “Query for 欲”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Hokkien and Mandarin), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

---

Japanese

Kanji

欲

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. want

Readings

• Go-on: よく (yoku, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: よく (yoku, Jōyō)
• Kun: ほしい (hoshii, 欲しい, Jōyō)、ほっする (hossuru, 欲する, Jōyō)、ほりす (horisu, 欲す)

Usage notes

This character was sometimes used to phonetically transcribe the Old Japanese word for “night” (yo). [cf. Manyōshū : 4134]

Compounds

• 愛(あい)欲(よく) (aiyoku)
• 強(ごう)欲(よく) (gōyoku)
• 色(しき)欲(よく) (shikiyoku)
• 食(しょく)欲(よく) (shokuyoku)
• 性(せい)欲(よく) (seiyoku)
• 大(たい)欲(よく) (taiyoku)
• 物(ぶつ)欲(よく) (butsuyoku)
• 無(む)欲(よく) (muyoku)
• 名(めい)誉(よ)欲(よく) (meiyoyoku)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
欲
よく Grade: 6

Alternative spelling
慾

Attested from the thirteenth century.

Noun

欲(よく) • (yoku) 

1. desire, a want, that which is wanted

   Synonym: 欲望 (yokubō)

   欲(よく)を言(い)うと

   yoku o iu to

   ideally; if one were to ask for one's desire

2. greed, avarice

   Synonym: 強欲 (gōyoku)

   欲(よく)の塊(かたまり)

   yoku no katamari

   greed incarnate; a lump of avarice

3. ambition, will

   Synonym: 意欲 (iyoku)

   欲(よく)を出(だ)せ

   yoku o dase

   aim high; show ambition

---

Korean

Hanja

欲 (eumhun 바랄 욕 (baral yok))

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

---

Vietnamese

Han character

欲: Hán Nôm readings: dục, giục

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.