[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Anatomy-and-Living \ #Mentality # 要 yào want, wish, desire; important, essential ## Components [[覀 (xī)]] [[女 nǚ]] [[女 (nǚ)]] ## Meaning Today, the character "要" primarily means "essential" or "important," as in "重要" (zhòngyào). It can also signify "to invite" or "to seek," as in "邀请" (yāoqǐng) and "求取" (qiúqǔ). Additionally, it can denote "to coerce" or "to demand," as in "胁迫" (xiépò) and "要求" (yāoqiú). ## History The character "要" depicts a woman standing with hands on her hips, emphasizing the waistline. In ancient scripts, the character featured a person's figure with a sun symbol above, representing the head. Hands on both sides indicated the woman standing with hands on hips. Hence, "要" originally referred to the waist. Later, "月" (flesh) was added on the left to specify the waist. The character "要" extended to other meanings like "essential," "to invite," "to seek," or "to coerce." For instance, "要" can mean the center of the body, as seen in texts like "墨子." It can also signify invitation, as in "桃花源记," or coercion, as in "左传." ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[要oracular 1.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[要bronze 1.svg]] ### Seal Script ![[要seal.svg]] ### Clerical Script ![[要cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[要reg.svg]]