须 (xū): must, to have to, to wait
须 (xū) is a Chinese character meaning “must.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 彡 (structural) and 页 (structural). It ranks #444 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 须 hair 彡 growing on the face 页. Its radical form 页 (page) appears in many related characters such as 页 (yè, page), 顺 (shùn, to obey), 顾 (gù, to look after).
Definitions
- must
- to have to
- to wait
Etymology & Origin
ideographicHair 彡 growing on the face 页
Decomposition: ⿰彡页 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 须 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 须
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 胡须noun | hú xū | beard |
| 无须adverb | wú xū | need not |
| 莫须有adjective | mò xū yǒu | groundless |
| 须要verb | xū yào | must |
| 剃须刀noun | tì xū dāo | shaver |
| 触须noun | chù xū | tentacles |
| 须知noun | xū zhī | key information |
| 何须adverb | hé xū | there is no need |
| 根须 | gēn xū | roots |
| 溜须拍马phrase | liū xū pāi mǎ | to smooth whiskers and pat a horse's bottom (idiom) |
| 须眉noun | xū méi | man or men (formal) |
| 须子 | xū zi | feelers (zoology) |
| 龙须面 | lóng xū miàn | dragon beard noodles |
| 卷须 | juǎn xū | tendril |
| 龙须菜noun | lóng xū cài | asparagus |
须 appears in 48 compound words: 31 as the first character, 27 as the last, and 42 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 须 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
Showing 3 of 4 idioms containing 须.
Example Sentences
学习语言须要持之以恒，不能三天打鱼两天晒网。
Xuéxí yǔyán xūyào chízhīyǐhéng, bùnéng sān tiān dǎ yú liǎng tiān shài wǎng.
Learning a language requires persistence; you cannot work in fits and starts.
...小便完甩一下后要不要洗手?接触生殖器后必须清洁吗
. . . xiǎo biàn wán shuǎi yī xià hòu yāo bù yāo xǐ shǒu ? jiē chù shēng zhí qì hòu bì xū qīng jié ma
... Do you want to wash your hands after peeing? Is it mandatory to clean the genitals after touching them?
推行6岁入学制须备足师资教室 叶祥均:避免政策“U转”劳...
tuī háng 6 suì rù xué zhì xū bèi zú shī zī jiào shì xié xiáng jūn : bì miǎn zhèng cè U zhuǎn láo . . .
The implementation of the 6-year-old enrollment system must prepare sufficient teacher classrooms Ye Xiangjun: Avoid the policy of "U-transfer" labor...
范明政总理:春节假期后首个工作日必须迅速投入到工作中去
fàn míng zhèng zǒng lǐ : chūn jié jiǎ qī hòu shǒu gè gōng zuò rì bì xū xùn sù tóu rù dào gōng zuò zhōng qù
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: The first working day after the Spring Festival holiday must be quickly put into work
特朗普向伊朗下最后通牒:伊朗15天内必须与美国达成..
tè lǎng pǔ xiàng yī lǎng xià zuì hòu tōng 牒 : yī lǎng 1 5 tiān nèi bì xū yǔ měi guó dá chéng . .
Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran: Iran must reach an agreement with the United States within 15 days:
俄罗斯女婿给丈母娘磕头拜年:不是必须做,是我所能表..
é luó sī nǚ xù gěi zhàng mǔ niáng kē tóu bài nián bù shì bì xū zuò , shì wǒ suǒ néng biǎo . .
Russian son-in-law kowtowed to his mother-in-law for New Year's Eve: it's not mandatory, it's the best I can do...
我必须吃这个药吗？
Wǒ bìxū chī zhège yào ma?
Must I take this medicine?
我必须留在医院吗？
Wǒ bìxū liú zài yīyuàn ma?
Do I have to stay in the hospital?
我必须带我的儿子到你的办公室吗？
Wǒ bìxū dài wǒ de érzi dào nǐ de bàngōngshì ma?
Do I have to bring my son to your office?
我必须要在医院再呆多长的时间呢？
Wǒ bìxū yào zài yīyuàn zài dāi duō cháng de shíjiān ne?
How much longer will I have to stay in the hospital?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 须 (xū) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 须 have?
What is the radical of 须?
What are the components of 须?
What are common words containing 须?
What characters sound the same as 须 (xū)?
Is 须 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 须 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.