HSK · Level 77
45 words
Chinese word
必不可少
Pronunciation
Pinyinbì bù kě shǎo
Meaning
- adjectiveessential
Example
水对生命是必不可少的。shuǐ duì shēng mìng shì bì bù ké shǎo de
Water is essential to life.
More examples
现代社会，手机已经成为人们生活中必不可少的用品。xiàn dài shè huì shǒu jī yǐ jīng chéng wéi rén men shēng huó zhōng bì bù ké shǎo de yòng pǐn
In modern society, mobile phones have become indispensable items in people's daily lives.
Core concept
A support or condition that a goal cannot stand without.
Common phrases
必不可少的条件bì bù ké shǎo de tiáo jiàn
indispensable condition
必不可少的要素bì bù ké shǎo de yào sù
indispensable element
生活中必不可少的东西shēng huó zhōng bì bù ké shǎo de dōng xī
an indispensable thing in daily life
Similar words
不可或缺bù kě huò quē: So indispensable that something cannot exist or work properly without it.
必需bì xū: Strictly needed as an item or condition for daily life or a particular activity.
必要bì yào: Needed to achieve a purpose or solve a problem.
Definition in Chinese
表示某事物对实现某一目的或维持某种状态是必需的，不能被省略或缺失。biǎo shì mǒu shì wù duì shí xiàn mǒu yí mù dì huò wéi chí móu zhǒng zhuàng tài shì bì xū de bù néng bèi shěng lüè huò quē shī
Word origin
The four-character expression combines 必 (bì, "certainly") + 不 (bù, "not") + 可 (kě, "can") + 少 (shǎo, "be lacking") to frame the needed thing as something that must not be absent.
Usage tips
- In everyday conversation, this word fits practical conditions such as food, sleep, or clean water, while a merely useful item does not usually reach this level of importance.
Opposites
- 可有可无ké yóu kě wúdispensableadjective
- 多余duō yúsuperfluousadjective