Meaning of 必要
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- necessary
- essential
- indispensable
- required
How to use 必要
必要 is mostly used as an adjective or noun, often in the patterns 有必要 (there is a need) and 没有必要 (there is no need). It also appears before nouns, as in 必要的条件 (a necessary condition). Example: 你没有必要担心。(Nǐ méiyǒu bìyào dānxīn.) There's no need for you to worry.
必 (bì) means "must, certainly" and 要 (yào) means "to need, to want." Put them together and you get something you certainly need: necessary.
Common mistake: Learners often use 必要 as a verb meaning "must," as in 我必要去. That is wrong. Use 必须 (bìxū) for "must do something" and say 我必须去. Also do not mix it up with 重要 (zhòngyào). 重要 means important, while 必要 means needed.
必要 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
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- 3
- 4
- 5
要 yào · to want · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 必要.
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important; significant; major |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 必须 | bìxū | must; to have to |
| 只要 | zhǐyào | so long as; provided; if |
| 就要 | jiùyào | will; shall |
| 要求 | yāoqiú | to request; to require |
| 主要 | zhǔyào | main; principal; major; primary |
| 快要 | kuàiyào | nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth) |
| 需要 | xūyào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs |
| 要是 | yàoshi | (coll.) if |
| 不必 | bùbì | need not; does not have to |
| 必然 | bìrán | inevitable; certain |
Questions about 必要
What does 必要 mean?
必要 (bìyào) means "necessary; essential" and is used as a adjective and noun.
How do you write 必要?
必要 is made of 2 characters: 必 (5 strokes), 要 (9 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 必要 an HSK word?
Yes. 必要 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 必要 and 需要?
需要 (xūyào) is mainly a verb meaning "to need," so it can take an object directly: 我需要钱. 必要 describes whether something is necessary and usually appears in 有必要 or before a noun with 的.
How do I say "if necessary" in Chinese?
You can say 如果有必要 (rúguǒ yǒu bìyào) or the more formal 必要时 (bìyào shí). Example: 必要时可以打电话给我。(Bìyào shí kěyǐ dǎ diànhuà gěi wǒ.) Call me if necessary.