Kilo Lingo

(bì xū) - must, have to in Mandarin

Traditional: 必须

Line drawing of 必须
Coloured illustration of 必须
HSK 2
#186 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

must, have to

Word origin

A two-character word: 必 'must, certainly' plus 须 'must, ought' (the simplified form pairs the head element 页 with hair strokes). Together 必须 means must or have to.

Origin
compound
Root
必 (must) + 须 (contains 页, head)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 必

Stroke order for 须

Examples

You must leave.

This is a must.

I must go to the hospital.

We must arrive on time.

He has to pay first.

必须 (bì xū) means must, have to. It is used as a verb in everyday Mandarin speech.

Used in

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This word is part of lesson 4.