The Chinese word Yao is commonly translated as to want in English. However, besides having the meaning of to want, Yao actually has 7 other meanings in addition to “to want”.
Yao does not only mean “to want”
As mentioned, the Chinese word Yao has seven different other meanings besides “to want”. Let us take a close look at how to use the Chinese word Yao in this post.
1. Asking Price Of An Item
这古董花瓶要多少钱？
zhè gǔ dǒng huā píng yào duō shǎo qián
How much is this antique vase?
手机的价钱要的太高了。
Shǒu jī de jià qián yào de tài gāo le.
The asking price for the mobile phone is too high.
2. Wish / Desire / Want / Ask for
我要去中国学汉语。
wǒ yào qù zhōng guó xué hànyǔ.
I want to go to China to learn Chinese.
我口渴，我要一杯水。
Wǒ kǒu kě, wǒ yào yī bēi shuǐ.
I am thirsty, I want a glass of water.
(yao here means asking someone to do something)
3. Demand or Request
妈妈要我们把功课做完才能去玩。
Māma yào wǒ men bǎ gōng kè zuò wán cái néng qù wán.
Mom wants us to finish homework before we can play.
老板要员工每天加班。
Lǎo bǎn yào yuán gōng měi tiān jiā bān.
The boss demand the employees to work overtime every day.
4. Must / Should / Necessary
天暗了，回家的路上要小心。
tiān àn le, huí jiā de lù shàng yào xiǎo xīn.
It’s getting late, you must be careful on your way home.
和长辈说话时要有礼貌。
hé zhǎng bèi shuō huà shí yào yǒu lǐ mào.
You must be polite when talking to the elders.
5. Soon / Going To / Will / Shall
要下雨了，快把衣服收进来。
yào xià yǔ le, kuài bǎ yī fú shōu jìn lái.
It is going to rain, quickly bring in the clothes.
高考要到了，你必须加紧复习。
gāo kǎo yào dào le, nǐ bì xū jiā jǐn fù xí
The national college entrance examination is coming soon, you need to step up on your reviews.
6. Need or Take
从这里到车站要两小时。
cóng zhè lǐ dào chē zhàn yào liǎng xiǎo shí.
It takes two hours from here to the station.
这东西要三个人才能搬得动。
zhè dōng xi yào sān gè rén cái néng bān dé dòng.
It takes three people in order to move this thing.
7. An Estimate When Used In Comparison
这里的冬天比我们那里要冷一些。
zhè lǐ de dōng tiān bǐ wǒ men nà lǐ yào lěng yī xiē.
Winter here are colder than ours.
裤子要比裙子方便。
kù zi yào bǐ qún zi fāng biàn.
Pants are more convenient than skirts.
8. If / Suppose / In Case
你要喜欢就买吧。
Nǐ yào xǐ huān jiù mǎi ba.
Buy it if you like.
要去的话就得现在出发。
yào qù de huà jiù dé xiàn zài chū fā
If you want to go, you have to leave now.
Common Phrases of Yao
要么 yào me
要么做，要么别做。
Yào me zuò, yào me bié zuò.
Either do or don’t do.
要不 yào bù
昨天你缺席的事你必须告诉老师，要不他会以为你逃学了。
Zuó tiān nǐ quē xí de shì nǐ bì xū gào sù lǎo shī, yào bù tā huì yǐ wéi nǐ táo xué le.
You must tell the teacher about your absence yesterday, or he will think that you have skipped school.
要不得 yào bu de
你这种行为实在是要不得。
Nǐ zhè zhǒng xíng wéi shí zài shì yào bu de.
Your behavior is really unacceptable.
要不然 yào bu rán
你还是别乱花钱，要不然又要被骂了。
Nǐ hái shì bié luàn huā qián, yào bù rán yòu yào bèi mà le.
You better not blow your money, or you’ll get scolding again.
要不是 yào bu shì
要不是你，我们早就把事情做完了。
Yào bù shì nǐ, wǒ men zǎo jiù bǎ shì qíng zuò wán le.
If it weren’t for you, we would have finished work long ago.
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