钥匙

• Pinyin: yào shi
• Hanzi breakdown: 钥 = 钅(metal) + 龠 (ancient pipe with shaped openings — a metal object with shaped cuts); 匙 = 匕 (spoon-shaped) + 是 (to be — a spoon-like tool)

Meaning

Key (for a lock). A small metal instrument used to open or close a lock.

Both literal (房间钥匙, 车钥匙) and figurative (成功的钥匙 — the key to success). Common collocations: 备用钥匙 (spare key), 配钥匙 (to have a key copied), 钥匙扣 (keychain).

Examples

1. 他翻遍了所有口袋，才发现钥匙留在了办公室的桌上，只好打电话请物业开门。 He searched through every pocket and only then realized he’d left his keys on his desk at the office, so he had to call building management to unlock the door.
2. 父母第一次把家门钥匙交给她保管，她明白这不仅仅是一把金属片，更是一种信任的象征。 When her parents first entrusted her with the house key, she understood it wasn’t just a piece of metal—it was a symbol of trust.
3. 坚持不懈地学习是打开知识大门的钥匙，这句话听起来老生常谈，却是许多成功者的共同体悟。 Persevering in your studies is the key to unlocking the door to knowledge. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s a shared insight of many successful people.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, metaphor, property, trust

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他习惯性地把备用钥匙藏在门口花盆底下，直到邻居提醒他这是最常见的入室盗窃场景之一，他才意识到这个习惯有多么危险。(He habitually hid his spare key under the flower pot by the door, until a neighbour pointed out that this was one of the most common burglary scenarios; only then did he realise how dangerous this habit was.)
• 掌握一门外语的钥匙不在于死记硬背单词，而在于创造真实的语言使用场景，让大脑在有意义的交流中自然习得语言规律。(The key to mastering a foreign language does not lie in rote memorisation of vocabulary, but in creating authentic language-use scenarios so that the brain naturally acquires linguistic patterns through meaningful communication.)

Don't Say

• 给我钥匙开门 — 钥匙 alone does not clarify who opens the door; say 用钥匙开门 or 把钥匙给我，我来开门; 给我钥匙开门 is ambiguous about the actor

Origin & History

钥 (key — 钅metal + 龠 ancient reed pipe with holes; a metal object with shaped openings) + 匙 (spoon/key — 匕 spoon + 是 be; a spoon-shaped tool)

Cultural Context

Era: Classical/Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal