Chinese word

将要

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiāng yào

Meaning

  • auxiliary verbbe about to

Example

他将要开始工作。tā jiāng yào kāi shǐ gōng zuò

He is about to start work.

Illustration for 将要 (be about to)

More examples

明天会议上将要讨论这个问题。míng tiān huì yì shàng jiàng yào tǎo lùn zhè ge wèn tí

This issue will be discussed at tomorrow's meeting.

Core concept

A formal marker that places an event just ahead of the present and highlights its approach.

Common phrases

  • 将要开始jiāng yào kāi shǐ

    be about to begin

  • 将要发生jiāng yào fā shēng

    be about to occur

  • 将要到来jiāng yào dào lái

    be about to come

Similar words

要yào: Shows that an action or change will happen in the future.
快要kuài yào: Shows that an event will happen soon and is already drawing near.
就要jiù yào: Emphasizes that an event is about to happen very soon.

Definition in Chinese

作为助动词表示马上要发生的动作或变化，侧重事件临近且叙述性强，多见于书面或正式语境。zuò wéi zhù dòng cí biǎo shì mǎ shàng yào fā shēng de dòng zuò huò biàn huà cè zhòng shì jiàn lín jìn qiě xù shù xìng qiáng duō jiàn yú shū miàn huò zhèng shì yǔ jìng

Word origin

将 (jiāng, "will") + 要 (yào, "be going to") combine two future-oriented elements in 将要 (jiāngyào, "be about to"), giving the expression its sense of an approaching event.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, 要 (yào, "be going to"), 快要 (kuàiyào, "be about to"), or 马上 (mǎshàng, "right away") is often more natural than the formal 将要 (jiāngyào, "be about to").

Other meanings

  • soonadverb
  • in the near futureadverb

Word lists with this word