要强

• Pinyin: yào qiáng
• Hanzi breakdown: 要 = to want/insist; 强 = 弓 (bow — power) + 虫 (insect — originally a strong beetle; powerful); together: 'to insist on being strong/superior'

Meaning

Competitive; striving to excel; unwilling to fall behind or be outdone. Describes a person's strong desire to outperform and never admit defeat.

A character trait often praised in Chinese culture: the inner drive never to be second-best or to show weakness. Can carry a slight negative nuance when it leads to stubbornness (过于要强). Common in descriptions of diligent students, ambitious professionals, or self-reliant elders who refuse help.

Examples

1. 她从小就要强，从来不允许自己的成绩落在别人后面，这种性格帮她走到了今天。 She’s been fiercely competitive since childhood and never allowed her grades to fall behind others; that personality has helped her get to where she is today.
2. 老人虽然已年过八旬，但向来要强，一直拒绝儿女的照料，坚持自己打理家务。 Even though he’s over eighty, the old man has always been proud and strong-willed; he keeps refusing help from his children and insists on handling the housework himself.
3. 过于要强有时候反而是一种负担，让人在本可以放松的时候也无法真正休息下来。 Being too determined to outdo everyone can sometimes become a burden, making it impossible to truly rest even when you could.

Usage Guide

Context: character, education, workplace, family

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 她是个极为要强的人，即便在病床上也坚持批阅文件，绝不肯把手头的工作交给别人代劳，这种精神令同事们既钦佩又心疼。(She is an extremely competitive and self-reliant person; even while bedridden she insisted on reviewing documents and would not hand her work over to others — a spirit that earned her colleagues' admiration and concern in equal measure.)
• 研究表明，过度要强的孩子遇到挫折时更难调适，因为自我价值常绑在成绩上。(Research shows that overly competitive children find it harder to adjust after setbacks because their self-worth is often tied to results.)

Don't Say

• 他要强地赢了比赛 — 要强 is a predicate adjective describing character, not an adverb; say 他凭着要强的性格赢得了比赛 or 他不服输，最终赢了比赛; 要强地 as an adverb is unnatural

Origin & History

要 (want/must) + 强 (strong — 弓 bow + 虫 insect; originally a strong beetle — strong, powerful); literally 'to want to be strong' — to insist on being the best

Cultural Context

Era: Classical/Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal