梦想
mèngxiǎng · HSK 4
fond dream
💭 梦 = dream + 想 = think/long for; together: a cherished dream you long for
梦 (mèng) means dream and 想 (xiǎng) means to think about or long for. Combined, 梦想 names the kind of dream you actively yearn for — an aspiration — rather than the dream you have while asleep.
梦 — forest 林 + evening 夕 (over 冖)
Originally written with 夕 'evening/night' under a roof or covering, suggesting a vision seen while sleeping at night. The modern form adds 林 'forest' on top, though this is largely phonetic and graphic simplification from older complex forms. The core meaning has stayed 'dream' since ancient times.
想 — heart 心 + 相 (xiāng, phonetic)
想 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 心 at the bottom carries the meaning, since classical Chinese located thought and feeling in the heart. The top component 相 (xiāng) supplies the sound, and over time the character settled into the senses 'to think,' 'to want,' and 'to miss.'