yāo

崾

Character · Verb · NounTraditional要

demand; coerce; middle

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

3 senses · 6 examples
1.

verb

to demand; to ask; to request

neutral

Often implies a forceful or insistent request. Used in formal or literary contexts.

Tā他
yāo要
qiú求
wǒ我
bāng帮
máng忙
 。

He asked me to help.

xié胁
pò迫

to coerce; to force

2.

verb

to coerce; to force; to threaten

neutral

Implies using power or threats to make someone do something.

Dí敌
rén人
yāo要
tā他
qù去
dāng当
jiàn间
dié谍
 。

The enemy forced him to become a spy.

Bù不
yào要
bī逼
rén人
tài太
shèn甚
 。

Don't push people too hard.

3.

noun

waist; middle; key point

archaic

Archaic or literary usage referring to the physical waist or the middle/meat of something.

yào要
lǐng领

main points; essentials

shān山
yāo要

mountain waist (middle of the mountain)