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欲

yù

1. noun desire

   这孩子求知欲很强。

   Zhè háizi qiúzhīyù hěn qiáng.

   This child has a strong thirst for knowledge.

2. modal verb to wish; to want (literary)

   会上大家畅所欲言。

   Huì shàng dàjiā chàng suǒ yù yán.

   At the meeting everyone spoke their minds freely.

3. adverb about to; on the point of (literary)

   那座老屋年久失修，摇摇欲坠。

   Nà zuò lǎo wū nián jiǔ shīxiū, yáoyáo yù zhuì.

   Long unrepaired, the old house teeters on the verge of collapse.

The full ChinesePath dictionary entry for 欲 includes audio for every reading and example sentence, more example sentences, collocations, synonyms and links to the course units where it is taught.