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要害 (yào hài) — vital part (of the body); key point, crux (of an issue or argument)

Definition

要害 covers both senses: a 'vital part' of the body and the 'crux' of an issue. It's more emphatic than 关键 or 重点, often implying a weak spot whose hit is decisive.

noun
vital part (of the body)key pointcrux (of an issue or argument)

Examples

  • ，要害。
    Tā shǒu bì shòu shāng le, dàn suǒ xìng méi yǒu shāng dào yào hài.
    His arm was injured, but luckily no vital part was hurt.
  • 要害。
    Tā yí xià jiù zhuā dào le wèn tí de yào hài.
    He immediately grasped the crux of the problem.
  • ，要害。
    Tā fēn xī dé hěn tòu chè, měi jù huà dōu dǎ zhòng le yào hài.
    His analysis was very thorough; every sentence hit the key point.

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yàoimportant/key
害hàivital spot

“要” gives the sense of importance or key, while “害” denotes a vital spot, yielding the crucial part or key point.

Characters in this word

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.

Open 要 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丯
丯jiè害hài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

害 was borrowed purely for its sound. Its old picture, possibly a house rafter, is unrelated to harm.

Open 害 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsBody Parts

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