A yearning is the feeling itself — a deep, aching wish for something you cannot easily have. It usually goes with 'for' ('a yearning for home') or with 'to' ('a yearning to be understood'). You can count it: 'a yearning', 'these yearnings'; you can also use it uncountably: 'full of yearning'.

A yearning is the feeling itself Yearning就是那種感覺本身 — a deep, aching wish for something you cannot easily have一種深沉、帶著痛楚的渴望，想要某個不容易得到的東西. It它 usually goes with 'for' ('a yearning for home')通常搭配『for』（『a yearning for home』） or with 'to' ('a yearning to be understood')或『to』（『a yearning to be understood』）. You can count it可以當可數名詞用: 'a yearning', 'these yearnings'『a yearning』、『these yearnings』; you can also use it uncountably也可以當不可數名詞用: 'full of yearning'『full of yearning』.

Two things make it different from 'wish' or 'desire'. It is slow — a yearning lives in you for months or years, it does not arrive and leave in an afternoon. And it points at something out of reach, so it always carries a little sadness even when what you want is beautiful.

Two things make it different from 'wish' or 'desire'有兩件事讓它跟『wish』或『desire』不一樣. It is slow它很緩慢 — a yearning lives in you for months or years一種yearning會在心裡待上好幾個月甚至好幾年, it does not arrive and leave in an afternoon不會一個下午就出現又消失. And it points at something out of reach而且它指向某個遙不可及的東西, so it always carries a little sadness even when what you want is beautiful所以就算你想要的東西很美好，它也總是帶著一點淡淡的哀傷.

That is why writers use it for homesickness, for lost love, for the past, and for the kind of longing that has no clear object at all — 'a strange yearning she could not name'.

That is why writers use it for homesickness, for lost love, for the past這就是為什麼作家會用它來寫思鄉、逝去的愛情、過去的時光, and for the kind of longing that has no clear object at all還有那種說不出具體對象的渴望 — 'a strange yearning she could not name'『a strange yearning she could not name』.

The same form is also the -ing form of the verb ('she was yearning for home') and can act as an adjective ('a yearning look' — a face that shows the feeling). It is a literary word; in normal talk Taiwanese students will more often say 'I really miss...' or 'I've always wanted...'.

The same form is also the -ing form of the verb同樣的形式也是這個動詞的-ing形 ('she was yearning for home')（『she was yearning for home』） and can act as an adjective也可以當形容詞用 ('a yearning look' — a face that shows the feeling)（『a yearning look』——一種流露出這種感覺的表情）. It is a literary word這是個文學性的字; in normal talk Taiwanese students will more often say 'I really miss...' or 'I've always wanted...'平常講話台灣學生比較常會說『I really miss...』或『I've always wanted...』.