要紧

• 拼音: yào jǐn
• 汉字拆解: 要 = important/essential; 紧 = 臤 (tightly grasped) + 糸 (thread — something pulled taut, hence urgent or critical)

含义

Important; urgent; serious. Describes something that matters greatly or requires immediate attention.

A versatile adjective/predicate used to ask or assert whether something is serious or important. Common in medical contexts (伤得要紧吗 — is the injury serious?), prioritisation (最要紧的是 — the most important thing is), and casual reassurance (不要紧 — it's okay / it doesn't matter).

例句

1. 医生检查后说骨折不算要紧，静养几周应该可以完全恢复，不需要手术。
2. 眼下最要紧的是稳定军心，其余的部署等局势明朗之后再逐步调整。
3. 你先去忙吧，这边不要紧，等你有空的时候再来帮我也不迟。

用法指南

语境: healthcare, prioritisation, reassurance, everyday

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 在所有待处理的事项中，最要紧的是尽快向客户发出书面说明，避免因信息滞后引发不必要的误解和恐慌，其他内部的善后工作可以稍后再跟进。(Among all the pending matters, the most important thing is to issue a written explanation to the client as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding and panic arising from delayed information; other internal follow-up work can be addressed afterwards.)
• 他在训练中扭伤了脚踝，队医检查后表示伤情不要紧，只是轻微的软组织损伤，敷冰消肿后休息两天便可恢复正常训练。(He sprained his ankle during training; after examination the team doctor said the injury was not serious — merely a mild soft tissue injury — and that he could resume normal training after two days of rest with ice applied to reduce the swelling.)

错误说法

• 这件事情非常要紧紧 — 要紧 is not reduplicated; 紧 is already part of the word; say 这件事情非常要紧 or 这件事极为重要; reduplication 要紧紧 is not standard

起源与历史

要 (important/must) + 紧 (tight/urgent — 臤 tightly held + 糸 thread; something pulled taut, hence urgent)

文化背景

时代: Classical/Modern

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal