必 bì — must, certainly · English

必

bì

must, certainly

At a glance · 必

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

必字小篆从八从弋，为指事字，本义为分极、必定；表示肯定副词『一定』。甲骨文未见。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

必本义为肯定、必定，副词。

Structure

必为指事字，从八（分）从弋，表示必然之分定。

At a glance

Pinyinbì

Radical心

Strokes5

UnicodeU+5FC5

Character type指事

Theme虚词

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English must, certainly Bi is an ideograph meaning certainly and must.

Français certainement, devoir Bi est un caractère indicatif signifiant certainement et devoir.

Español debe, ciertamente Bi es un carácter indicativo que significa debe y ciertamente.

العربية يجب، حتماً بي حرف دال يعني حتماً ويجب.

Русский обязательно, непременно Би — указательный знак, означающий обязательно и непременно.

Common words

必须bì xūmust
必然bì ráninevitable

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