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主要 (zhǔ yào) — main, principal, primary

Definition

Marks the main or most important item among several — like 'main' or 'primary'. Stronger/weightier than 重要 ('important' in general); use it when picking one thing out as the chief one, not just significant.

adjective
mainprincipalprimary

Examples

  • 主要。
    Tā de zhǔ yào gōng zuò shì jiào yīng yǔ.
    His main job is to teach English.
  • 主要。
    Zhè shì xué xiào de zhǔ yào jiào shì.
    This is the school's main classroom.
  • 主要？
    Zhè běn shū de zhǔ yào nèi róng shì shén me?
    What is the main content of this book?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

主zhǔprincipal
要yàoimportant

主 and 要 both carry 'main' and 'important' senses, giving 'principal'.

Characters in this word

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

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →

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 →
Appears in
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