必

Translingual

Stroke order (Taiwan)

Stroke order (Japan)

Stroke order (Chinese)

Stroke order (Japan)

Han character

必 (Kangxi radical 61, 心+1, 5 strokes, cangjie input 心竹 (PH), four-corner 3300₀, composition ⿻心丿)

Derived characters

• 佖 咇 𪣊 妼 𢁽 怭 㧙 泌 𨸼 柲 珌 䏟 祕 䀣 𥑖 秘 袐 䎵 䖩 䛑 䟤 鉍 (铋) 䩛 䪐 飶 (𫗣) 馝 駜 𩨲 𪬤 𰀜 鮅 (𫚑)
• 𢖮 𨒜 𣭈 䫾 (𫠈) 𠛡 𠨘 邲 覕 鴓 宓 苾 毖 瑟 𫵘 𤵘 虙 𠚊 𠰣 𡊭 𡶇 𢗺 𤽣 𥁑 閟 (𮤲) 㘠 𱈶

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 375, character 2
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 10299
• Dae Jaweon: page 701, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2267, character 2
• Unihan data for U+5FC5

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 必
Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Likely a pictogram (象形) – weapon handle made of bamboo strips; the original character for 柲 (OC *priɡs, *bliːɡ, *priɡ, *bliɡ). The character was phonetically borrowed for the senses of "certainly" and "must".

Unrelated to 心, as bronze script makes clear, but in current form very similar.

Etymology

Unclear (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

Definitions

必

1. surely; most certainly; always; invariably

   • 小大之獄，雖不能察，必以情。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     小大之狱，虽不能察，必以情。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Xiǎodà zhī yù, suī bù néng chá, bì yǐ qíng.

     As for legal trials petty or serious, even if I could not judge with perfect justice, I always decide according to the facts.

2. must; have to; shall

   • 王曰：「雖然，必告不穀。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     王曰：「虽然，必告不谷。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Wáng yuē: “Suīrán, bì gào bùgǔ.”

     "Nevertheless, you have to tell me," said the king.

   • 耶和華神對蛇說，你既作了這事，就必受咒詛，比一切的牲畜野獸更甚。你必用肚子行走，終身吃土。 [MSC, trad.]
     耶和华神对蛇说，你既作了这事，就必受咒诅，比一切的牲畜野兽更甚。你必用肚子行走，终身吃土。 [MSC, simp.]

     Yēhéhuá shén duì shé shuō, nǐ jì zuò le zhè shì, jiù bì shòu zhòuzǔ, bǐ yīqiè de shēngchù yěshòu gèng shèn. Nǐ bì yòng dùzi xíngzǒu, zhōngshēn chī tǔ.

     And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go , and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

3. (literary) conjunction indicating the condition of a concession or exception, especially a hypothetical or implied one

   • 子曰：「君子無所爭，必也射乎！揖讓而升，下而飲，其爭也君子。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     子曰：「君子无所争，必也射乎！揖让而升，下而饮，其争也君子。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zǐyuē: “Jūnzǐ wú suǒ zhēng, bì yě shè hū! Yīràng ér shēng, xià ér yìn, qí zhēng yě jūnzǐ.”

     The Master said, "The student of virtue has no contentions. If it be said he cannot avoid them, shall this be in archery? But he bows complaisantly to his competitors; thus he ascends the hall, descends, and exacts the forfeit of drinking. In his contention, he is still the Junzi."

   • 必不得已而去，於斯三者何先？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     必不得已而去，于斯三者何先？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Bì bùdéyǐ ér qù, yú sī sānzhě hé xiān?

     If it cannot be helped, and one of these must be dispensed with, which of the three should be foregone first?

4. (Southern Min) (of skin) to chap
5. (Hakka, Southern Min) to crack

Compounds

Descendants

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. inevitably, certainly

Readings

• Go-on: ひち (hichi)
• Kan-on: ひつ (hitsu, Jōyō)
• Kun: かならず (kanarazu, 必ず, Jōyō)
• Nanori: さだ (sada); さだむ (sadamu)

Compounds

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 必 (MC pjit).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

必

Wikisource

必 (eumhun 반드시 필 (bandeusi pil))

1. Hanja form^? of 필 (“surely; certainly; without fail”).

Compounds

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

必: Hán Nôm readings: tất, ắt

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