One time I remember talking to a parent, whose son I was teaching English to. I asked the parent why his son was enrolled in so many classes and he replied, “I want my son to become a dragon.” I couldn’t understand his meaning. When I asked a Chinese friend with good English I understood that his meaning had been“望子成龙”，which in English would be better expressed as“I have high hopes for my son/daughter.”
记得有一次我和一位家长聊天，我正在教他儿子英语。我问这位家长为什么他的儿子要上这么多的课， 他回答说：“I want my son to become a dragon.”我一头雾水。当我问了一位英语很好的中国朋友后，我知道了这位家长是想表达“望子成龙”。在英语中用“I have high hopes for my son/daughter.”来表达这一意思会比较好。
与“期望”相关的词汇：
high hopes厚望 bright future前途无量
good outlook美好前景 good prospect美好的未来
successful career事业成功 rewarding life愉快人生
meaningful work有意义的工作 ideal job理想工作
place one’s hope on someone把希望寄托在某人身上
文化差异：
Unlike in China, where the dragon is considered a lucky and powerful sign, in Western culture, dragons are generally associated with “evil（邪恶的）” or “danger（危险）” in stories.
