要求
to require; to demand; requirement
yāoqiú
What does 要求 mean?
要求 (yāoqiú) means 'to require, to demand' as a verb and 'requirement, demand' as a noun. It is used when one party (a boss, school, customer, government, parent) sets a standard or makes a request that the other party is expected to meet. Two things English speakers should note. First, 要求 is stronger than English 'ask': asking a friend to pass the salt is 请 (qǐng), not 要求.
Reserve 要求 for situations with real authority or expectation behind them — a job requirement, a customer demand, a teacher's instruction. Second, the noun usage is very common: 提要求 ('to raise a request'), 满足要求 ('to meet a requirement'), 高要求 ('high standards'). Pronunciation note: in 要求, 要 takes the first tone (yāo), not the more common fourth tone (yào).
Note: Stronger than a simple 'ask'. 要求 implies you expect compliance; for polite requests use
Character breakdown
to demand; to seek (here pronounced yāo, not yào)
to seek; to request
Memory hook: 要 (demand) + 求 (seek) = to demand-and-seek = require.
Example sentences
老师要求我们每天读中文。
Lǎoshī yāoqiú wǒmen měi tiān dú Zhōngwén.
The teacher requires us to read Chinese every day.
neutral
这个工作的要求很高。
Zhège gōngzuò de yāoqiú hěn gāo.
The requirements for this job are high.
neutral
你有什么要求？
Nǐ yǒu shénme yāoqiú?
What requests / requirements do you have?
spoken
我们一定满足您的要求。
Wǒmen yídìng mǎnzú nín de yāoqiú.
We will certainly meet your requirements.
polite, written
他对自己要求很严。
Tā duì zìjǐ yāoqiú hěn yán.
He has very strict standards for himself.
neutral
Common phrases with 要求
Synonyms
需要 is objective need — something that is necessary. 要求 is an active demand made by someone with expectations. A car 需要 fuel (needs); a boss 要求 employees to be on time (demands).
请求 is a polite request — you are asking, not demanding. 要求 carries authority or expectation. 请求帮助 ('to request help' — polite) vs 要求加工资 ('to demand a raise').
Don't confuse 要求 with
要 (yào, fourth tone) is the everyday 'want / need / will'. 要求 takes 要 in the FIRST tone (yāo) and means 'demand / require'. Different tone, different word.
需求 is 'demand' in the market / economic sense (supply and demand). 要求 is a personal or institutional requirement. 市场需求很大 ('market demand is high') vs 老师的要求很严 ('the teacher's requirements are strict').