desire

Phonosemantic compound. , depicting a person with an open mouth, represents the meaning, while represents the sound.

Components
欠 meaning component

  Meaning component

qiàn

  

yawn, deficient

Depicts a person with an open mouth.

谷 sound component

  Sound component

  

valley, ravine

Evolution

欲 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
欲 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
欲 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

desire, want, long for; intend; to wish for; to desire; variant of |[yù]

() 

desire; appetite; passion; lust; greed

Most common words with 欲
Freq.
Word
Meaning

desire

欲望

desire

随心所欲

to follow one's heart's desires

性欲

lust

食欲

appetite

Component uses

Meaning component in 1 character (1 verified)

Sound component in 1 character (1 verified)