How to say “must” in Chinese

必须

bìxū

must

adverb · HSK 3 · topic “Work and business”

“Must” in Chinese is 必须, bì xū: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

必须 is read bì xū: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

bì — 4th tonesharply falling, like “Stop!”

xū — 1st tonehigh and level, like a long note

How to write it

必

bì — necessarily

须

xū — must, need

On the right, 页 “head”.

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “必须”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 必须. Tap the sound icon to listen.

你必须参加明天的会议nǐbìxūcānjiāmíngtiāndehuìyìYou must attend tomorrow's meeting.
这个工作今天必须完成zhègegōngzuòjīntiānbìxūwánchéngThis work has to be finished today, no matter what.
年底以前必须完成任务niándǐyǐqiánbìxūwánchéngrènwuThe task must be completed by the end of the year.
不管是谁都必须按照法律办事bùguǎnshìshéi,dōubìxūànzhàofǎlǜbànshìNo matter who you are, you have to follow the law.
大家必须执行公司的决定。dàjiābìxūzhíxínggōngsīdejuédìngEveryone must carry out the company's decision.
我们必须马上采取措施wǒmenbìxūmǎshàngcǎiqǔcuòshīWe have to take measures right away.

More words from the lesson “Should, have to, must”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “must” in Chinese?

“Must” in Chinese is 必须, pinyin bìxū.

What does 必须 mean?

必须 (bìxū) means “must”.

How do you write 必须?

必须 is 2 characters: 必 (bì) — necessarily; 须 (xū) — must, need. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 必须?

必须 is read bìxū. Tones: bì — fourth tone, xū — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“must” in the lesson “Should, have to, must”

This word is from the topic “Work and business” of HSK 3. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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