至关重要 zhìguān-zhòngyào extremely important
extremely important; vital; crucial; essential
How to remember 至关重要: 至 until + 关 to close + 重 heavy + 要 want = extremely important.
Characters
How it is used
- Emphatic idiom: crucial, of the utmost importance - 时间至关重要 (shíjiān zhìguān-zhòngyào) time is critical.
- Stronger than plain 重要 (zhòngyào); the 至关 (zhìguān) intensifier marks it as make-or-break.
- Formal/written register, common in reports and speeches; functions as a predicate adjective.
Example sentences
- 这件事至关重要。 Zhèjiàn shì zhìguānzhòngyào.This is a matter of the utmost importance.