次要 (cì yào) is an adjective meaning 'secondary' or 'less important'—it describes something that ranks below another in priority, significance, or influence. The character 次 (cì) means 'order', 'sequence', or 'next', while 要 (yào) means 'important' or 'essential'. Together, they literally convey 'the next (in rank) after the essential'—hence, 'not primary, but still part of a hierarchy'. It’s commonly used in formal and semi-formal contexts: discussions about priorities at work, academic analysis, policy documents, or everyday decisions where trade-offs are made.

This word often appears in contrast with 主要 (zhǔ yào, 'main/primary'), forming a clear pair for comparing relative importance. Unlike colloquial alternatives like ‘不太重要’ (bù tài zhòngyào), 次要 carries a neutral, objective tone—not dismissive, but structurally descriptive. It’s frequently found in compound phrases such as 次要原因 (cì yào yuányīn, 'secondary cause') or 次要角色 (cì yào juésè, 'supporting role').