若要

ruòyāo

if it's necessary (that); if somebody wants

Wiktionary

Entry Composition

=1 若 rě
  1. used in 般若 bōrě
  2. used in 兰若 lánrě
=1 若 ruò
  1. to seem
  2. like
  3. as
  4. if
=2 要 yāo (bound form) to demand; to coerce
=2 要 yào
  1. to want; to need; to ask for
  2. will; shall; about to
  3. need to; should
  4. if (same as 要是 yàoshi)
  5. (bound form) important
=2 要 yǎo
  1. (archaic) alternative form of 偠 (yǎo)
  2. alternative form of 偠 (yǎo)
  3. used in 要褭／要袅

Containing this entry

若要人不知，除非己莫为 ruòyàorénbùzhī,chúfēijǐmòwéi If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it (idiom). fig. If you do something bad, people will inevitably hear about it.