Chinese Dictionary

Usage of the character 要

to want; to need; to ask for
will; shall; about to
need to; should
if (same as 要是 (yàoshi))
(bound form) important

(bound form) to demand; to coerce

important matter

to threaten
to blackmail

(attributive) (of a person) involved in sensitive, confidential work; (of information) secret; classified

to intercept
to ambush

major criminal

the essentials

strategic location

key job
important position

important person

straw rope

prominent; eminent
important person; notable; dignitary

the gist (of a text or argument)
the main points

to cause sb's death
extremely; terribly
(used in complaining about sth) to be a nuisance

to be on good terms
to be close friends
striving for self-improvement

to need; to want; to demand; to require
needs

main plan
important program

key participant
VIP

(literary) key location
key post (important job)

will
shall
to be going to

vital part
(fig.) key point
crucial

eager to excel
eager to get ahead in life
strong-minded

significant role
major figure

minutes
written summary of a meeting

so long as
provided that

important news story
headline

key document
important condition
criterion
requirement
requisite
cornerstone

in brief
in a word

as for
when it comes to

roughly
outline
summary

important book

to request
to require
requirement
to stake a claim
to ask
to demand
CL:點／点 (diǎn)

to need
must

to ask a price; to charge
(fig.) to attach conditions (in negotiations)

outline
essential points

important governmental or administrative matter

to need
to require
must have

major road
thoroughfare
main road

important road
main thoroughfare
fig. key position

firmly set on doing sth
to insist on doing
determined in one's course of action

the key trick
the secret of success

to the point
concise

strategic pass

either ...
or ...

important political leader
government dignitary

variant of 邀功 (yāogōng)

to ask for
to request
to demand

must; have to

abstract
gist
main points

to be just about to
to be on the point of

to save sb's face

good
fine

important path

the main points

will
shall
to be going to

to beg (for food or money)

variant of 要麼／要么 (yàome)

extremely
awfully

nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth)

important substance (of a document)
key section

important
urgent

secondary

important; significant; major

main; principal; major; primary

stronghold
fort
fortification

influential figure
powerful person

to restrict
to agree to a contract
offer; bid

essential factor
key constituent

confused
dazed

essential
extremely important

road hub
major crossroad

to want to
to feel like
to fancy
to care for sb
desirous of

to demand repayment
to collect debt

don't!; must not

if only
so long as

main point
essential

the most important
of chief importance

key post

important hub; key position

to insist on doing sth
must do it, despite everything

summary
abstract

to ask an enormous price (as first negotiating step)

otherwise
or else
how about...?
either... (or...)

(coll.) if

to be about to

necessary
essential
indispensable
required

to charge
to demand payment

Gaoyao, county-level city in Zhaoqing 肇慶／肇庆 ( Zhàoqìng), Guangdong

urgent

nevertheless

key task
important affair

important thing
crucial thing

it depends on...

strategically situated and easy to defend
strategic location

outline

main aspects
essentials
gist

critical
crucial
vital

dynastic records of imperial China

summary
abstract

or
either one or the other

to want absolutely; to insist on (doing sth)

concise
brief

appearance
manner

Gaoyao, county-level city in Zhaoqing 肇慶／肇庆 ( Zhàoqìng), Guangdong

to have no sense of shame; shameless

inessential
unnecessary

(coll.) unbearable (Shanghainese)

needless; unnecessary

see 愛面子／爱面子 (àimiànzi)

must

unimportant
not serious
it doesn't matter
never mind
it looks all right, but

otherwise
or else
or

if it were not for
but for

zhòngyàoxìng

importance

necessity

intolerable; unacceptable

yàojiāniúnǎi

with milk
white (of tea, coffee etc)

Wǔ Jīng Zǒng Yào

"Collection of the Most Important Military Techniques", book published in 1044 during the Northern Song Dynasty

bùdéyàolǐng

to fail to grasp the main points

yàosǐyàohuó

terribly
awfully
desperately

basic necessity
fundamental need

quánlìyāoqiú

claim to rights (copyright, patent etc)

bìyàotiáojiàn

requirement
necessary condition (math)

half dead
more dead than alive

qièzhòngyàohài

to hit the target and do real damage (idiom)
fig. to hit where it hurts
fig. to hit home
an argument that hits the nail on the head

yǒuhuàyàoshuō

to speak one's mind

sǐbùyàoliǎn

to know no shame
to be totally shameless

jiǎnyàojièshào

brief introduction

zhèngzhòngyàohài

to hit the nail on the head (idiom)

wúguānjǐnyào

indifferent
insignificant

yāomǎirénxīn

variant of 邀買人心／邀买人心 (yāomǎirénxīn)

zhìguānzhòngyào

extremely important
vital
crucial
essential

yàoyánbùfán

to explain in simple terms
succinct
concise

Qímín Yàoshù

Essential skill to benefit the people, sixth century encyclopedia of agricultural knowledge by Jia Sixie 賈思勰／贾思勰 ( Jiǎ Sīxié)

jiǎnmíng'èyào

brief and to the point (idiom)
succinct

chīnáqiǎyào

dinner invitations, grabbing, obstructing and demanding bribes
all kinds of abuse of power

Qiānjīn Yàofāng

Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold, early Tang compendium of herbal medicine by Sun Simiao 孫思邈／孙思邈 ( Sūn Sīmiǎo)

to regard face as all-important
to consider loss of face unthinkable

chōngyàotiáojiàn

necessary and sufficient condition

shōugòuyāoyuē

takeover bid

zhànlüèyàodiǎn

strategic point

màntiānyàojià

to ask for sky-high prices

jǐnyàoguāntóu

urgent and important moment (idiom); critical juncture

shuōhuàyàosuànshù

说话要算数

[說話要算數]

promises must be kept

Gǔjīn Yùnhuì Jǔyào

古今韵会举要

[古今韻會舉要]

"Summary of the Collection of Rhymes Old and New", supplemented and annotated Yuan dynasty version of the no-longer-extant late Song or early Yuan "Collection of Rhymes Old and New" 古今韻會／古今韵会

xuèzhàiyàoyòngxuèláihuán

血债要用血来还

[血債要用血來還]

A debt of blood must be paid in blood.
Blood calls for blood.

sǐyàomiànzihuóshòuzuì

死要面子活受罪

[死要面子活受罪]

to go through hell for the sake of keeping up appearances (idiom)

xūyàoshìfāmíngzhīmǔ

需要是发明之母

[需要是發明之母]

Necessity is the mother of invention (European proverb).

xuèzhàiyàoyòngxuèláicháng

血债要用血来偿

[血債要用血來償]

A debt of blood must be paid in blood.
Blood calls for blood.

chūláihùnchízǎoyàohuánde

出来混迟早要还的

[出來混遲早要還的]

if you live a life of crime, sooner or later you'll pay for it

bùyàozàiyīkēshùshàngdiàosǐ

不要在一棵树上吊死

[不要在一棵樹上吊死]

don't insist on only taking one road to Rome (idiom)
there's more than one way to skin a cat

tiānyàoluòyǔ,niángyàojiàrén

天要落雨，娘要嫁人

[天要落雨，娘要嫁人]

the rain will fall, the womenfolk will marry (idiom)
fig. the natural order of things
something you can't go against

yàofēngdéfēng,yàoyǔdéyǔ

要风得风，要雨得雨

[要風得風，要雨得雨]

to get whatever one wants
to have everything going one's way

jìyàodāngbiǎoziyòuyàolìpáifāng

既要当婊子又要立牌坊

[既要當婊子又要立牌坊]

see 又想當婊子又想立牌坊／又想当婊子又想立牌坊 (yòuxiǎngdāngbiǎoziyòuxiǎnglìpáifāng)

zhǐyàogōngfushēn,tiěchǔmóchéngzhēn

只要功夫深，铁杵磨成针

[只要功夫深，鐵杵磨成針]

If you work at it hard enough, you can grind an iron bar into a needle.
cf idiom 磨杵成針／磨杵成针, to grind an iron bar down to a fine needle (idiom); fig. to persevere in a difficult task
to study diligently

ruòyàorénbùzhī,chúfēijǐmòwéi

若要人不知，除非己莫为

[若要人不知，除非己莫為]

If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it (idiom). fig. If you do something bad, people will inevitably hear about it.

yòuyàomǎrpǎo,yòuyàomǎrbùchīcǎo

又要马儿跑，又要马儿不吃草

[又要馬兒跑，又要馬兒不吃草]

lit. you can't expect the horse to run fast but not let it graze (idiom)
fig. you can't have your cake and eat it, too

dāobùmóyàoshēngxiù,rénbùxuéyàoluòhòu

刀不磨要生锈，人不学要落后

[刀不磨要生銹，人不學要落後]

(idiom) a blade will get rusty if it is not sharpened; a man will fall behind if he doesn't study

yòuyàomǎrhǎo,yòuyàomǎrbùchīcǎo

又要马儿好，又要马儿不吃草

[又要馬兒好，又要馬兒不吃草]

see 又要馬兒跑，又要馬兒不吃草／又要马儿跑，又要马儿不吃草 (yòuyàomǎrpǎo,yòuyàomǎrbùchīcǎo)