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要命

yàomìng
adjective HSK 7-9 #6,048

Meanings

  1. 1 extremely
  2. 2 terribly
  3. 3 life-threatening
  4. 4 awful

Characters

要
yào
to want; to demand
命
mìng
life

Examples

今天热得要命。
Jīntiān rè de yàomìng.
It's terribly hot today.
牙疼起来真要命。
Yá téng qǐlái zhēn yàomìng.
A toothache is really awful when it strikes.

Tips

memory
Literally 'demanding your life' (要命) — so extreme it could kill you. Used colloquially as a dramatic intensifier: 累得要命 (exhausted to death), 饿得要命 (starving to death).
grammar
Pattern: adjective + 得要命 means 'extremely [adjective].' It's informal and expressive.

Stroke Order

要 yào
命 mìng

Related Words

性命 xìngmìng HSK 7-9 #3,449
life / one's life (often in danger)
拼命 pīnmìng HSK 7-9 #4,117
desperately / with all one's might / for dear life
要不 yàobù HSK 7-9 #5,393
otherwise / or else / how about
要紧 yàojǐn HSK 7-9 #6,247
important / serious / to matter
命名 mìngmíng HSK 7-9 #4,899
to name / to christen / to designate
革命 gémìng HSK 7-9 #5,117
revolution
无关紧要 wúguān-jǐnyào HSK 7-9 #4,463
of no consequence; unimportant / irrelevant; immaterial
使命 shǐmìng HSK 7-9 #3,815
mission / duty / mandate
致命 zhìmìng HSK 7-9 #2,596
fatal / deadly / lethal
首要 shǒuyào HSK 7-9 #5,680
of the first importance / primary / paramount
要命 yàomìng
Meanings Characters Examples Tips Stroke Order Related Words
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