Definition
主要 (zhǔ yào) means 'main, principal' and is the most common, neutral word for describing the most important element in a group. 正 (zhèng) as an adjective also means 'main' but is used in fixed compounds like 正门 (main gate) or 正路 (main road); 首要 (shǒu yào) is more formal and emphasizes 'foremost' or 'of chief importance'.
adjective
mainprincipalprimary
Examples
- 主要。Tā de zhǔ yào gōngzuò shì jiāo Yīngyǔ.His main job is to teach English.
- 主要。Zhè shì xuéxiào de zhǔ yào jiàoshì.This is the school's main classroom.
- 主要?Zhè běn shū de zhǔ yào nèiróng shì shénme?What is the main content of this book?
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