大要 (dà yào) — gist; main points | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

大要 is a formal, written noun for the 'gist' or 'main points' of a text or speech — used in summaries and reports, not in everyday talk.

noun

gistmain points

Examples

大要。
Qǐng zǒng jié yí xià zhè piān wén zhāng de dà yào.
Please summarize the gist of this article.
大要，。
Tā xiān gěi wǒ men jiǎng le dà yào, rán hòu cái xiáng xì shuō míng.
He first told us the main points, and only then explained in detail.
大要。
Bào gào de dà yào yǐ jīng liè zài kāi tóu le.
The gist of the report is already listed at the beginning.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

要yàoessentials

大 'major' plus 要 'essentials' names the important points.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

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