至关重要 (zhì guān zhòng yào) — extremely important, vital, crucial

Definition

A strong written phrase for 'extremely important / vital' — stronger than 关键 ('key, crucial'), and more formal than 重要.

phrase

extremely importantvitalcrucial

至关重要。
Jiàn kāng duì měi gè rén lái shuō dōu zhì guān zhòng yào.
Health is crucial for everyone.
至关重要，。
Zhè ge huán jié zhì guān zhòng yào, bù néng chū rèn hé chā cuò.
This step is vital; no mistakes can be made.
至关重要。
Bǎo hù huán jìng duì rén lèi de fā zhǎn zhì guān zhòng yào.
Protecting the environment is essential for the development of humanity.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

至 is drawn as an arrow stuck into the ground.

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 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

門門méndoor

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢇅

𢇅𢇅關guān

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

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

東

東dōng重zhòng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

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