要务 (yào wù) — important affair, mission

Definition

noun

important affairmission

要务。
Zhè shì wǒ men de dì yī yào wù.
This is our top priority.
要务。
Wán chéng zhè ge yào wù xū yào dà jiā de hé zuò.
Completing this important task requires everyone's cooperation.
要务。
Jīng jì fā zhǎn shì guó jiā de dì yī yào wù.
Economic development is the country's top priority.

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

要 means important and 务 means affairs, so 要务 is an important matter.

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.

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 務; 务 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

力力lìstrength

Sound part声符shēngfú

敄

敄wù務wù

Same sound today

In the traditional form 務, 力 shows the sense of strength or effort, while 敄 gives the sound. The simplified 务 is a later shorthand.

Appears in