Meaning of 必修
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (of an academic course) required
- compulsory
How to use 必修
必修 describes school or university courses that every student has to take. It often appears as 必修课 (bìxiūkè), "required course," and contrasts with 选修 (xuǎnxiū), "elective." Example: 英语是必修课。(Yīngyǔ shì bìxiūkè.) English is a required course.
必 (bì) means "must," and 修 (xiū) means "to study" or "to cultivate," as in improving yourself. A course you must study is a required course.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 必修 (bìxiū) with 必须 (bìxū, must), because they sound almost the same. 必须 goes before a verb, as in 必须去 (must go), while 必修 describes a course, as in 必修课.
必修 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
必 bì · certainly · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
修 xiū · to decorate · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 必修.
| 必须 | bìxū | must; to have to |
| 必要 | bìyào | necessary; essential |
| 不必 | bùbì | need not; does not have to |
| 修改 | xiūgǎi | to amend; to alter |
| 必然 | bìrán | inevitable; certain |
| 修理 | xiūlǐ | to repair; to fix |
| 装修 | zhuāngxiū | to decorate; interior decoration |
| 未必 | wèibì | not necessarily; maybe not |
| 维修 | wéixiū | maintenance (of equipment); to protect and maintain |
| 修复 | xiūfù | to restore; to renovate; (computing) to repair (a corrupted file etc) |
| 必需 | bìxū | to need; to require |
| 修建 | xiūjiàn | to build; to construct |
Questions about 必修
What does 必修 mean?
必修 (bìxiū) means "(of an academic course) required; compulsory" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 必修?
必修 is made of 2 characters: 必 (5 strokes), 修 (9 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 必修 an HSK word?
Yes. 必修 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the opposite of 必修?
The opposite is 选修 (xuǎnxiū), meaning elective or optional. An elective course is called 选修课 (xuǎnxiūkè).
Can 必修 be used for things outside school?
It is mainly used for academic courses. People sometimes use it figuratively, for example calling patience 人生的必修课 (rénshēng de bìxiūkè), "a required lesson in life."