key point; focus; emphasis
HSK level
重点 is written with 18 strokes (重: 9, 点: 9). The animation replays automatically.
重点 (zhòngdiǎn) is a noun meaning 'key point,' 'focus,' 'emphasis,' or 'priority' — the most important part of something that deserves the most attention: 学习的重点 ('the focus of study'), 抓住重点 ('grasp the main point').
It also works attributively to mean 'key / priority,' as in 重点大学 ('a top/key university') and 重点项目 ('a priority project'), and adverbially as 重点(地) 'with emphasis, especially.' English speakers should note that 重点 is read zhòngdiǎn (zhòng = 'heavy/important'); read as chóngdiǎn it is an unrelated, rare verb meaning 'to recount.'
Unlike English 'key point,' 重点 flexibly shifts between noun, modifier, and adverb without changing form. It is neutral in register and very common in education, work, and planning contexts, where identifying the 重点 is a core habit.
Note: Neutral. As an attributive it means 'key / priority' (重点大学 'key university'); as an adverb-like modifier 重点(地) it means 'with emphasis / especially.' The seed pinyin chóngdiǎn ('to recount') is a different, rarer word; the HSK sense is zhòngdiǎn.
Character by character
Memory hook: 重 (heavy/important) + 点 (point): the heavy, important point — the key point.
老师，考试的重点是什么？
Lǎoshī, kǎoshì de zhòngdiǎn shì shénme?
Teacher, what's the focus of the exam?
spoken
说话要抓住重点，别太啰嗦。
Shuōhuà yào zhuāzhù zhòngdiǎn, bié tài luōsuo.
When you speak, get to the point; don't be too wordy.
spoken
他考上了一所重点大学。
Tā kǎoshàngle yì suǒ zhòngdiǎn dàxué.
He got into a top-tier university.
neutral
这个学期的重点是提高听力。
Zhège xuéqī de zhòngdiǎn shì tígāo tīnglì.
This semester's focus is improving listening skills.
written
要点 ('main points / essentials') usually refers to the several key items to summarize or remember, often plural. 重点 stresses the single most important focus or priority to concentrate on.
重要 is an adjective, 'important.' 重点 is a noun, 'the key point/focus.' You say 很重要 ('very important') but 抓重点 ('grasp the key point'); they are not interchangeable grammatically.
缺点 means 'shortcoming / weakness.' It shares 点 with 重点 but has the opposite flavor — 重点 is what matters most, 缺点 is a flaw.
Acquire it by listening
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