参见：要是[yàoshi]

• 明天要下雨，我就不去了。

  If it rains tomorrow, I won't go.

• 要不是你来帮忙，事情就办不成。

  If you don't help the task won't get finished.

参见：要么[yàome]

重要的内容main issue

• 择要纪录

  record selected important points

希望得到或保持to want

• 她要一枝钢笔。

  She wants a fountain pen.

• 说要，马上非要不可。

  Want something and want it right away.

• 我们要和平，但不怕战争。

  We want peace, but we are not afraid of war.

索取to ask for

• 要账

  demand payment of a debt

• 你给我要点儿纸来。

  Ask for some paper for me.

• 他跟我要钢笔。

  He asked me for a fountain pen.

• 他们进了茶馆，要了壶茶。

  They went into the tea house and asked for a pot of tea.

请求；要求to ask; to demand

• 她要我替她写信。

  She asked me to write a letter for her.

• 他要我告诉他。

  He asked me to tell him.

需要to need

• 我做件上衣要多少布?

  How much cloth do I need to make a top?

• 每次进城要两小时。

  It always takes two hours to get into the city.

表示作某事的意志to want to do something

• 他要学溜冰。

  He wants to learn to swim.

• 我要跟他谈谈。

  I want to speak to him.

须要；应该to have to; should

• 要光明正大，不要搞阴谋诡计。

  One should be open and upright. One should not use underhand methods.

• 要特别小心

  one should be very careful

• 睡吧，明天你还要起早呢！

  Go to sleep. You have to get up very early tomorrow!

• 你要把这件事承担起来。

  You must take responsibility for this.

• 这要有决心。

  This needs resolve.

• 会议要到傍晚才结束。

  The meeting will not finish until the evening.

将要to be about to

• 要下大雨了

  it's going to pour it down!

• 快要下雨了。

  It's about to rain.

• 不久我们要参加竞赛。

  We are going to enter the competition soon.

表示估计，用于比较used to indicate estimation in comparisons

• 老爷爷，你多大年纪啦？要有一百了吧？

  Grandpa, how old are you? Are you a hundred years old?

• 屋子里很热，树荫底下要凉快得多。

  The room is very hot. It's probably much cooler in the shade of the tree.

重要important