需

xū

而 + 雨

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

xū (verb) to need; to require

xū (noun) necessity; need

Etymology

Pictograph of a person standing under the rain (雨), representing the meaning "become wet", now written as 濡. The current meaning is a phonetic loan. The person component was later replaced with the phonetic component 而.

About

需 originally showed a person beneath the rain (雨), meaning "to become wet", now written as 濡. Later, the person component was replaced by 而 (which once depicted a beard) to serve as the phonetic, creating a phono-semantic compound with the rain radical providing the semantic field and 而 indicating the sound. The modern sense "need, require" is a phonetic loan, unrelated to the ancient image.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我需要你的帮助。

Wǒ xūyào nǐ de bāngzhù.

I need your help.

他需要更多时间。

Tā xūyào gèng duō shíjiān.

He needs more time.

这是必需的工具。

Zhè shì bìxū de gōngjù.

This is a necessary tool.

我们有新的需求。

Wǒmen yǒu xīn de xūqiú.

We have new demands.

完成这个任务需耐心。

Wánchéng zhège rènwù xū nàixīn.

Completing this task requires patience.

需考虑所有可能性。

Xū kǎolǜ suǒyǒu kěnéngxìng.

It is necessary to consider all possibilities.

如需帮助，请随时联系我。

Rú xū bāngzhù, qǐng suíshí liánxì wǒ.

If you need help, please contact me anytime.

在项目实施过程中，需密切关注进度。

Zài xiàngmù shíshī guòchéng zhōng, xū mìqiè guānzhù jìndù.

During project implementation, it is necessary to closely monitor the progress.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 而

Component: 雨

需