紧要 (jǐn yào) — crucial, vital | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

adjective

crucialvital

紧要。
Zhè ge jué dìng fēi cháng jǐn yào.
This decision is very crucial.
，。
Zhè jiàn shì wú guān jǐn yào, nǐ bú yòng tài dān xīn.
This matter is unimportant; you don't need to worry too much.
，。
Zài jǐn yào guān tóu, tā zuò chū le zhèng què de xuǎn zé.
At the critical moment, he made the right choice.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

要yàoimportant

紧 means urgent and 要 means important; together they stress crucial importance.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 緊; 紧 is its simplified writing.

臤糸緊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

臤

臤qiān緊jǐn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緊 pairs 糸 (thread) with 臤 as a sound part; the simplified 紧 is a later shorthand.

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.

Appears in