愿

The glyph operates across two primary semantic axes:

1. Disposition/Character: Sincere, honest, virtuous, earnest, or compliant.

2. Volition/Desire: To wish, to desire, to hope for, or to be willing.

• As a main verb (transitive): Used to express a wish for a specific object or outcome.
• As a modal/auxiliary verb: Precedes another verb to indicate willingness or desire.
• As an attributive/adjective: Describes the quality of a person or their state of mind.

The form 願 (with 心) is a traditional variant and is generally interchangeable with 愿. While the heart radical may suggest an emotional drive of longing, they are functional variants in most classical contexts.

When the sense is ambiguous, consider nearby semantic clusters:

• Dispositional Cluster: If paired with terms such as 心 (heart), 誠 (sincerity), or 志 (will/ambition), lean toward "sincere" or "earnest."
• Petitionary Cluster: If paired with terms such as 望 (hope) or 求 (seek/request), lean toward "wish" or "desire."