Chinese word

要

Pronunciation

Pinyinyào

Meaning

  • verbwant

Example

我要一杯水。wǒ yào yì bēi shuǐ

I want a glass of water.

Illustration for 要 (want)

More examples

你要吃什么？nǐ yào chī shén me

What do you want to eat?

Core concept

A strong wish or need that points toward a thing or an action.

Common phrases

  • 要一杯水yào yì bēi shuǐ

    want a glass of water

  • 要吃饭yào chī fàn

    want to eat

  • 要去yào qù

    plan to go

Similar words

想xiǎng: Wishing to carry out an action.
会huì: Pointing to an action that is going to happen.
能néng: Indicating that an action can be done.

Definition in Chinese

表示想得到某物、需要某物或打算做某事，也常用作表示将来或强烈意志的助动词。biǎo shì xiǎng dé dào mǒu wù xū yào mǒu wù huò dǎ suàn zuò mǒu shì yě cháng yòng zuò biǎo shì jiāng lái huò qiáng liè yì zhì de zhù dòng cí

Word origin

The modern verb 要 (yào, "want") grows from the older idea of something being important or necessary, so it can point to both a needed thing and an intended action.

Usage tips

  • Before a thing, this word can show a wish or a need; before an action, it can show a wish, a need, or a plan.

Other meanings

  • needverb
  • be going toauxiliary verb

Opposites

Word lists with this word