要素 meaning in English

yàosù

essential factor; key constituent

HSK 6noun19 strokes

Meaning of 要素

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

yàosù

essential factor
key constituent

How to use 要素

要素 is a fairly formal noun used in writing, business, law, and analysis to name the essential parts of a system or idea. It often appears in phrases like 基本要素 (jīběn yàosù, basic elements) or 构成要素 (gòuchéng yàosù, constituent elements). Example: 时间是成功的重要要素之一。(Shíjiān shì chénggōng de zhòngyào yàosù zhī yī.) Time is one of the key factors in success.

要 (yào) means important or needed, and 素 (sù) means a basic element, as in 元素 (yuánsù) element. Put them together and 要素 is an important basic element, a key ingredient of something.

Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 要 here with the first tone, as in 要求 (yāoqiú), but in 要素 it is fourth tone: yàosù. Also, do not mix up 要素 with 因素 (yīnsù), which means a factor or cause that influences a result, while 要素 stresses a necessary building block.

要素 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

所suǒ以yǐ，友yǒu情qíng也yě是shì幸xìng福fú的de一yí个gè要yào素sù。

So friendship is also a requirement for happiness.

对duì我wǒ自zì己jǐ来lái说shuō，幸xìng福fú有yǒu些xiē根gēn本běn的de要yào素sù。

In my opinion, happiness has a few fundamental requirements.

声shēng称chēng钱qián不bú是shì幸xìng福fú的de一yí个gè要yào素sù是shì愚yú蠢chǔn的de。

Claiming that money is not a requirement for happiness is foolish.

自zì信xìn是shì伟wěi大dà事shì业yè的de第dì一yī要yào素sù。

Self-confidence is the principal element of any great endeavor.

其qí它tā的de要yào素sù来lái自zì你nǐ跟gēn别bié人rén的de关guān系xì和hé你nǐ平píng日rì的de活huó动dòng。

Other requirements come from your relationships with other people and your daily activities.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

要 yào · to want · 9 strokes

素 sù · raw silk · 10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 要素.

重要	zhòngyào	important; significant; major
不要	bùyào	don't!; must not
只要	zhǐyào	so long as; provided; if
就要	jiùyào	will; shall
要求	yāoqiú	to request; to require
主要	zhǔyào	main; principal; major; primary
快要	kuàiyào	nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth)
需要	xūyào	to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs
要是	yàoshi	(coll.) if
必要	bìyào	necessary; essential
不要紧	bùyàojǐn	unimportant; not serious
将要	jiāngyào	will; shall

Questions about 要素

What does 要素 mean?

要素 (yàosù) means "essential factor; key constituent" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 要素?

要素 is made of 2 characters: 要 (9 strokes), 素 (10 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.

Is 要素 an HSK word?

Yes. 要素 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 要素 and 元素?

元素 (yuánsù) is used for chemical elements and for elements in a general or design sense. 要素 focuses on the parts that are essential, the ones something cannot do without.

Can I use 要素 in everyday conversation?

You can, but it sounds a bit formal. In casual speech people often say 关键 (guānjiàn, key point) or 最重要的东西 (the most important thing) instead.