Chinese word

要紧

Pronunciation

Pinyinyào jǐn

Meaning

  • adjectiveimportant

Example

这件事要紧，你别走开。zhè jiàn shì yào jǐn nǐ bié zǒu kāi

This matter is important, so don't go away.

Illustration for 要紧 (important)

More examples

时间要紧，我们得尽快出发。shí jiān yào jǐn wǒ men děi jǐn kuài chū fā

Time is pressing, so we must leave as soon as possible.

Core concept

Something that demands attention because its importance comes with time pressure.

Common phrases

  • 时间要紧shí jiān yào jǐn

    time is pressing

  • 要紧的是yào jǐn de shì

    what is important is

Similar words

重要zhòng yào: Having great value or influence and therefore requiring serious attention.
紧急jǐn jí: Requiring immediate attention because it must be handled within a short time.
紧要jǐn yào: So important that success or failure often depends directly on it.

Definition in Chinese

表示某事既重要又紧急，关系重大，通常需要重视或尽快处理。biǎo shì mǒu shì jì zhòng yào yòu jǐn jí guān xì zhòng dà tōng cháng xū yào zhòng shì huò jǐn kuài chú lǐ

Word origin

要 (yào, "important") + 紧 (jǐn, "tight") pairs the idea of significance with the feeling of being pressed, which explains the word's combined sense.

Usage tips

  • In spoken Chinese, it can comment directly on a whole situation after the topic, making the sentence more compact than its usual English equivalent.

Other meanings

  • urgentadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word