需 (xū): to need
需 (xū) is a Chinese character meaning “to need.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 雨 (structural) and 而 (structural). It ranks #408 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 需 rain 雨 needed for crops to grow. Its radical form 雨 (rain) appears in many related characters such as 雨 (yǔ, rain), 零 (líng, zero), 雪 (xuě, snow).
Definitions
- to need
Etymology & Origin
ideographicRain 雨 needed for crops to grow
Decomposition: ⿱雨而 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 需 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 需
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 需要verb/noun | xū yào | to need | 3 |
| 必需verb | bì xū | to need | 5 |
| 需求noun | xū qiú | requirement | 5 |
| 急需verb | jí xū | to urgently need | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 无需 | wú xū | needless |
| 必需品 | bì xū pǐn | necessity |
| 军需 | jūn xū | military supplies |
| 各取所需 | gè qǔ suǒ xū | each takes what he needs (idiom) |
| 亟需 | jí xū | to urgently need |
| 供需 | gōng xū | supply and demand |
| 内需 | nèi xū | domestic demand |
| 特需 | tè xū | special need |
| 不时之需 | bù shí zhī xū | a possible period of want or need |
| 需要是发明之母 | xū yào shì fā míng zhī mǔ | Necessity is the mother of invention (European proverb). |
| 所需 | suǒ xū | necessary (for) |
| 基本需要 | jī běn xū yào | basic necessity |
| 生活必需品 | shēng huó bì xū pǐn | life's necessities |
| 外需 | wài xū | external demand (demand for a country's goods and services from foreign markets) |
| 社会总需求 | shè huì zǒng xū qiú | aggregate social demand |
需 appears in 30 compound words: 13 as the first character, 50 as the last, and 37 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 需 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
Example Sentences
我们需要更多的时间来完成这个项目。
Wǒmen xūyào gèng duō de shíjiān lái wánchéng zhè gè xiàngmù.
We need more time to complete this project.
AI带旺需求...陆光通讯厂畅旺 订单排到Q4
A I dài wàng xū qiú . . . lù guāng tōng xùn hǎn chàng wàng dìng dān pái dào Q 4
AI drives demand... Luguang Communication Factory is prosperous, and orders are scheduled to Q4
关税变局 台需严谨评估配套
guān shuì biàn jú tái xū yán jǐn píng gū pèi tào
The tariff change bureau needs to be rigorously evaluated and supported
跨区出行需求活跃,冬奥会带火冰雪旅游热
kuà qū chū háng xū qiú huó yuè , dōng ào huì dài huǒ bīng xuě lǚ yóu rè
The demand for cross-regional travel is active, and the Winter Olympics will bring fire to ice and snow tourism
新冬能·场外音丨陆玮鑫:冬奥会需引入“鹰眼挑战”系..
xīn dōng néng chǎng wài yīn 丨 lù 玮 鑫 : dōng ào huì xū yǐn rù yīng yǎn tiāo zhàn xì . .
New Winter Energy Off-Site Sound丨Lu Weixin: The Winter Olympics need to introduce the "Eagle Eye Challenge" system:
科学内调成美肤新刚需,肌原光以“产学研”硬实力登陆..
kē xué nèi diào chéng měi fū xīn gāng xū , jī yuán guāng yǐ chǎn xué yán yìng shí lì dēng lù . .
Scientific internal adjustment has become a new demand for skin beauty, Myogen Light with "production, research and development" hard power to land...
从上海坐火车到郑州需几个小时？
Cóng Shànghǎi zuò huǒchē dào Zhèngzhōu xū jǐge xiǎoshí?
How long would a train from Shanghai to Zhengzhou take?
汤姆今天需要留在家里吗？
Tāngmǔ jīntiān xūyào liú zài jiālǐ ma?
Does Tom need to stay home today?
我需要一支铅笔。我可以借你一支吗？
Wǒ xūyào yī zhī qiānbǐ. wǒ kěyǐ jiè nǐ yī zhī ma?
I need a pencil. Can I take yours?
为什么汤姆不需要去波士顿？
Wèishénme Tāngmǔ bù xūyào qù Bōshìdùn?
Why didn't Tom need to go to Boston?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 需 (xū) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 需 have?
What is the radical of 需?
What are the components of 需?
What are common words containing 需?
What characters sound the same as 需 (xū)?
Is 需 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 需 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.