HSK · Level 98
45 words
Chinese word
要命
Pronunciation
Pinyinyào mìng
Meaning
- adverbterribly
Example
他忙得要命。tā máng de yào mìng
He is terribly busy.
More examples
他饿得要命，先把桌上的饭都吃了。tā è de yào mìng xiān bǎ zhuō shàng de fàn dōu chī le
He was terribly hungry, so he ate all the food on the table first.
Core concept
A condition pushed so far that it seems to reach the limit of endurance.
Common phrases
忙得要命máng de yào mìng
terribly busy
饿得要命è de yào mìng
terribly hungry
疼得要命téng de yào mìng
in terrible pain
Similar words
非常fēi cháng: Means very or greatly and gives a quality or action a high degree.
特别tè bié: Marks a quality or action as particularly strong in degree.
太tài: Marks a degree as excessive and beyond what is suitable.
极其jí qí: Expresses an exceptionally high degree in formal or written language.
Definition in Chinese
口语中表示程度极高的副词，常与“得”连用，置于动词或形容词后以夸张程度，表示非常、极其。例：他忙得要命。kóu yǔ zhōng biǎo shì chéng dù jí gāo de fù cí cháng yǔ dé lián yòng zhì yú dòng cí huò xíng róng cí hòu yǐ kuā zhāng chéng dù biǎo shì fēi cháng jí qí lì tā máng de yào mìng
Word origin
要 (yào, "to cause") + 命 (mìng, "life") presents something as affecting life, which explains its later use for an extreme degree.
Usage tips
- English speakers may read the life-related wording as literal, but in ordinary conversation it commonly intensifies a situation without claiming real danger.
Other meanings
- to deathadverb
Opposites
- 一点也不yì diǎn yě bùnot at alladverb
- 丝毫不sī háo bùnot in the leastadverb