# Wo xiwang wode pengyou yue duo yue hao.



## Senordineroman

"Wo xiwang wode pengyou yue duo yue hao."
"Wo xiwang gongke yue shao yue hao." 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

OK, I don't understand what "xiwang" means in this context.  To me, these sentences _seem _to say, 

"I hope that as I make _more _friends, I get _better _ones." 
"I hope that my homework gets better as I get to the last bit of it." 

I know these translations can't be right.  Someone help me understand "xiwang" here.  

I'm at a computer that doesn't read Chinese characters; respond in pinyin.


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## IDK

In your questioning of "xiwang", you're using it correctly.

Your sentences, however, to me, mean "I hope that, as I gain more friends, it (things) will get better" or "I hope the more friends I make, the merrier".

The second sentence does not translate correctly. The Chinese sentencese you have say "the lesser homework I receive, the better", but your English doesn't say that, of course. Try:"Wo xiwang gongke yue tsuo yue hao." _I hope that, as I do it, my homework gets easier. _(pinyin may not be correct) It is not an accurate translation as I tried to keep your sentence in tact, as you are questioning "xiwang".


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## Senordineroman

Thanks for your response, Texas-man! 

Hmmm.  I guess I really don't understand why "xiwang" is used here, then. If I were to translate directly from English to Mandarin....

"The less homework I get, the better"
I would say....
"Wode gongke yue shao yue hao."  

Or for...

"The more friends I have, the better."
I'd say...
"Wode pengyou yue duo yue hao."  

I can't really internalize why "xiwang" is used.  It seems to mean "I think that...", but then in that case, why not use "Wo juede"?  Why "I hope"?  

Hmmm!!!!


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## china_edward

Well, the 1st sentence, if translated into Chinese, means literally " I hope I can make friends. The more, the better."
The 2nd sentence can be likewise translated into Chinese as " I hope I don't get much homework. The less, the better."
Hope this can be of any help to you.


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## IDK

It's not that you're using the phrase wrong, but just the rest. "Xi wang" has only one interpretation that I know of: "hope". "I think that" would be "wo shiang". "Wo jue de" is "I feel that." You use these phrases much like you do in English.

Looks like I need to work on pinyin.


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## china_edward

Btw, Chriscashman has a perfect command of the pinyin system.


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## Senordineroman

China Edward!  I am flattered by your comment!  Thank you so much!  

I have a degree in linguistics.  I guess I'm _supposed_ to know this kind of information, shi bu shi?


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## orangekitten

I find the second sentence to be a little flawed to begin with as it actually says "I hope that the less homework there is, the better." But the explanations offered above are adequate for putting xiwang into context.


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## Senordineroman

Orange kitten,

I'm not exactly sure what "flaw" you're pointing out.  

I still don't quite get why the things are "hoped" for in these sentences.  They just seem like circumstances which are _thought_  - not hoped.  The less homework I have, the better ---- That's not something I _hope _is true, it's something I _believe _or _think _is true.  

Anyway.....This seems like one of those things I can't _learn_, but just need to _acquire.  _


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## IDK

Well, you _hope_ the economy will improve, right? Use "xi wang" as you would use "hope" in English.

To be honest, I still don't know what's confusing you.


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## acemach

phrase 1 - I hope/wish that - the more friends I have, the better.
phrase 2 - I hope/wish that - the less homework I have, the better.

I think the meaning of xiwang has been sufficiently explained, but I see why you are confused. Its usage in your phrases seems a little awkward to me too.

Perhaps for this particular person, things are getting worse as he gains friends and gets less homework.

hope this helps,
Ace


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## about:blank

Here, "wo xiwang" simply means "I want".That's how people use the word in daily life.Don't take it so literally.
The phrase "yue A,yue B" equals to "the more A,the more B".


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## Senordineroman

OK, then "want" doesn't make sense _either!  _

I want the more friends I have (to be) the better*


Once again, I can't grasp _when _I should use that and when I don't need to.  Why can't I just say, "Wode pengyou yue duo yue hao"?


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## Dan H

ChrisCashman said:


> "Wo xiwang wode pengyou yue duo yue hao."
> "Wo xiwang gongke yue shao yue hao."
> 
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> 
> OK, I don't understand what "xiwang" means in this context. To me, these sentences _seem _to say,
> 
> "I hope that as I make _more _friends, I get _better _ones."
> "I hope that my homework gets better as I get to the last bit of it."
> 
> I know these translations can't be right. Someone help me understand "xiwang" here.
> 
> I'm at a computer that doesn't read Chinese characters; respond in pinyin.


 Appropriately, i consider "xiwang=希望" should be translated to wish/be desired/hope/expect in English.
Wo xiwang gongke yue shao yue hao
equal to 
I hope that it's better to make more friends!


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## Senordineroman

I know that's how it's translated!  I _know _what "xiwang" means.  

My confusion is that I don't understand why it is used with these "yue A yue B" statements!  Even the example sentence you just wrote, Dan H, doesn't make sense to me.  

Do you HOPE that it will "be better to make more friends", or is that just how circumstances are ("The more friends you have, the better"?  or "It is better to have more friends")??


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## Dan H

ChrisCashman said:


> I know that's how it's translated! I _know _what "xiwang" means.
> 
> My confusion is that I don't understand why it is used with these "yue A yue B" statements! Even the example sentence you just wrote, Dan H, doesn't make sense to me.
> 
> Do you HOPE that it will "be better to make more friends", or is that just how circumstances are ("The more friends you have, the better"? or "It is better to have more friends")??


 
I think the single sentence "wo xiwang yue duo pengyou yue hao" is incomplete, it lacks a subject, what will be better as there're/I have more friends??
I think we should translate it according to the context. 
In the case that you are going to have a party, you wish that there will be many friends at your party, it may be translated into "I hope that the more friends at my party, the better."
Suppose you're a business man or something else, you expect to have a large social circle to expand your business or to learn something more beneficial, it may be translated into "I hope that it will be better to make more friends."


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## Senordineroman

Well, shoot!  Maybe it's a cultural difference, then.  

When you say, "I hope that the more friends I get, the better it will be", that leads me to believe that you think it is possible that _things could get *worse* _if you make more friends!     Or with the homework sentence - "Wo xiwang gongke yue shao yue hao", *to me*, that implies that getting less homework _may not _be better! 

Let me expand.  To me, it seems like these sentences could end with...

"Wo xiwang pengyou yue duo yue hao, but in reality, getting more friends sometimes adds more problems to your life."  

"Wo xiwang gongke yue shao yue hao, but I know that I will become a better student if I get more homework, *so I know that's not true."

*Oh my gosh!  I'm getting so dizzy with all this!  我们 的 课问 越 长 越 眩！


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## Dan H

ChrisCashman said:


> Well, shoot! Maybe it's a cultural difference, then.
> 
> When you say, "I hope that the more friends I get, the better it will be", that leads me to believe that you think it is possible that _things could get *worse* _if you make more friends! Or with the homework sentence - "Wo xiwang gongke yue shao yue hao", *to me*, that implies that getting less homework _may not _be better!
> 
> Let me expand. To me, it seems like these sentences could end with...
> 
> "Wo xiwang pengyou yue duo yue hao, but in reality, getting more friends sometimes adds more problems to your life."
> 
> "Wo xiwang gongke yue shao yue hao, but I know that I will become a better student if I get more homework, *so I know that's not true."*
> 
> Oh my gosh! I'm getting so dizzy with all this! 我们 的 课问 越 长 越 眩！


 
Yep, I agree that getting more friends sometimes adds more troubles to your life due to I am not that kind who frequently chat up with those alleged friends as strangers/hypocrites. hehehehehe

Anyway, you are supposed to look on the bright side. =)

Getting more firends sometimes alleviate your feeling of loneness.

I will become a superb homework doing machine, if the much more homework have been done.  =(  I hope that there's no homework doing machine on earth.

If you regard learning Chinese as one of most interesting things you are doing, you will barely feel dizzy at all.
hahaha !!


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## about:blank

ChrisCashman said:


> OK, then "want" doesn't make sense _either!  _
> 
> I want the more friends I have (to be) the better*
> 
> 
> Once again, I can't grasp _when _I should use that and when I don't need to.  Why can't I just say, "Wode pengyou yue duo yue hao"?




Yes you can say "Wode pengyou yue duo yue hao", that's definitely right.
But as I already said, that's how people use in daily life. You can't take it so literally when learning a language.
Think about it this way,
"i want to have more friends, the more, the better."
It's kind of like the mix of two sentences "I want to have more friends" and "the more friends I have, the better."
That's how they use it! They don't say the two sentences seperately.

Moreover, if you don't use "xiwang" here, well in my opinion you cannot express the wish to have more friends.
Does it make sense now?


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## about:blank

What's more, when people use the word "xiwang" in daily life, more often they don't really mean hope or wish, but WANT.


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## rubeking

ChrisCashman said:


> Orange kitten,
> 
> I'm not exactly sure what "flaw" you're pointing out.
> 
> I still don't quite get why the things are "hoped" for in these sentences. They just seem like circumstances which are _thought_ - not hoped. The less homework I have, the better ---- That's not something I _hope _is true, it's something I _believe _or _think _is true.
> 
> Anyway.....This seems like one of those things I can't _learn_, but just need to _acquire. _


 As a native Chinese speaker, I think the view you hold is absolutely right. It is wrong to say _wo xiwang wode pengyou yue duo yue hao, _because the reason you said the thing "_pengyou yue duo yue hao" _is not something you _hope_ but _the fact_. The right way should be _wo xiwang wode pengyou yue lai yue duo, _cause _yue lai yue_ means the coming future, in which the things can be "_hoped_".

I think sometimes the logic overwhelms the grammar. The sentence _wo xiwang wode pengyou yue duo yue hao _is grammatical, however, it is unreasonable which makes it a wrong sentence. Like in English, you can say, _I hope to get more friends_., but you can't say, _I hope it will be better if I get more friends, _unless you are some kind of robots that can't get happier when getting more friends.


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