Chinese word

必需

Pronunciation

Pinyinbì xū

Meaning

  • adjectivenecessary

Example

这是必需的东西。zhè shì bì xū de dōng xī

This is something that is necessary.

Illustration for 必需 (necessary)

More examples

灾区急需生活必需品。zāi qū jí xū shēng huó bì xū pǐn

Disaster areas urgently need daily necessities.

Core concept

A thing or condition that has to be present for a goal to be reached or a state to continue.

Common phrases

  • 生活必需品shēng huó bì xū pǐn

    daily necessities

  • 必需药品bì xū yào pǐn

    essential medicines

  • 必需营养素bì xū yíng yǎng sù

    essential nutrients

Similar words

必要bì yào: Needed for a particular purpose or situation to be possible.
必不可少bì bù ké shǎo: Indispensable because a goal or function fails when it is absent.

Definition in Chinese

表示为达到某个目标或保持某种状态所必不可少的条件或物，强调不可缺少性，常与“品”“条件”等词搭配形成名词短语。biǎo shì wèi dá dào mǒu gè mù biāo huò bǎo chí móu zhǒng zhuàng tài suǒ bì bù ké shǎo de tiáo jiàn huò wù qiáng diào bù kě quē shǎo xìng cháng yǔ pǐn tiáo jiàn děng cí dā pèi xíng chéng míng cí duán yǔ

Word origin

必需 (bìxū, "necessary") is built from 必 (bì, "certainly") + 需 (xū, "need"), joining certainty with need for something that must be present.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, 必需 (bìxū, "necessary") often comes before nouns for items or conditions, so its position helps identify a practical requirement in a sentence.

Other meanings

  • essentialadjective
  • indispensableadjective

Opposites

  • 不必要bú bì yàounnecessaryadjective
  • 可有可无ké yóu kě wúdispensableadjective

Related words

  • 必需品bì xū pǐnnecessitynoun
  • 必需量bì xū liàngrequired amountnoun

Word lists with this word