📖 Meaning
To wait anxiously and yearningly for someone or something with one's whole heart. The reduplication of '悬悬' conveys a sense of restless, suspended anticipation. It describes a state of deep, single-minded longing or expectation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from 'Jingshi Tongyan' (警世通言), a collection of vernacular short stories compiled by the Ming dynasty writer Feng Menglong (冯梦龙). In Volume 25, a character urges another to return home quickly, saying that his wife must be anxiously awaiting his return. The phrase captures the heartfelt worry and eager anticipation of a loved one left behind.
💡 Example Usage
每次出门远行，母亲总在家悬悬而望，盼我早日归来。
Every time I travel far from home, my mother waits at home with anxious anticipation, longing for my early return.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 悬悬而望
- Pinyin: xuán xuán ér wàng
- Literal Translation: hang, hang, and, look
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4