要命 yàomìng to cause somebody's death
to cause somebody's death; extremely; terribly; (used in complaining about something) to be a nuisance
How to remember 要命: 要 want + 命 life = to cause somebody's death.
Characters
How it is used
- A vivid intensifier meaning 'extremely / like crazy', usually for something unpleasant - 热得要命 (rè de yàomìng) unbearably hot; 疼得要命 (téng de yàomìng) hurts like hell.
- Also literal 'to cost a life' or an exasperated 'what a nuisance!' - 真要命 (zhēn yàomìng) how awful/annoying.
- Colloquial; the intensifier use (Adj + 得要命) is the most common.
Example sentences
- 你不要命啦！ Nǐ búyàomìng la!Are you nuts?