要 (yào) - To want & to need

要Tone 4

yào ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

嬿一

要 · yào

To want;

to need;

to require;

must;

should;

important;

essential;

will;

going to (future tense marker);

if;

in case.

To wantto needto require

Usage highlights

ImportantWant toNeed toEssentialKey pointSummary

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 不要— do not want; should not
  • 次要— secondary; less important
  • 放弃— to give up; to abandon

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I want to eat (要吃).
  • You need to study (要学习).
  • This is important (重要).
  • He is going to travel tomorrow (明天要去旅行).
  • If it rains, we'll cancel (要是下雨就取消).

Collocations

  • Important(重要)
  • Want to(要)
  • Need to(需要)
  • Essential(必要)
  • Key point(要点)
  • Summary(摘要)

Idioms

  • To grasp the main points(要言不烦)
  • Essential points(要害之处)
  • Key link(重要环节)
  • To blackmail(要挟)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Used as a future tense marker in modern Chinese grammar.
  • Can express necessity or obligation in both positive and negative contexts.
  • Appears in many compound words related to importance and necessity.

FAQ