xū

歔

Character · Auxiliary verb · Noun · VerbTraditional須

must; beard; wait

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

3 senses · 8 examples
1.

auxiliary verb

must; have to; shall

Expresses necessity or obligation. Often used in formal or written contexts.

Nǐ你
bì必
xū须
àn按
shí时
wán完
chéng成
zuò作
yè业
 。

You must finish your homework on time.

Cǐ此
shì事
xū须
jǐn谨
shèn慎
chǔ处
lǐ理
 。

This matter must be handled with caution.

Show 1 more example
Xū须
zhī知
 ：
běn本
diàn店
shù恕
bù不
shē赊
zhàng账
 。

Notice: This shop does not accept credit.

2.

noun

beard; whiskers; mustache

literary

Refers to facial hair. Traditional form is 鬚. Often used in literary or compound words.

Tā他
lǚ捋
le了
lǚ捋
cháng长
xū须
 ，
xiàn陷
rù入
chén沉
sī思
 。

He stroked his long beard and fell into deep thought.

Xū须
fà发
jiē皆
bái白
de的
lǎo老
zhě者
zuò坐
zài在
shù树
xià下
 。

An old man with completely white hair and beard sat under the tree.

Show 1 more example
Zhí植
wù物
de的
xū须
gēn根
fēi非
cháng常
fā发
dá达
 。

The fibrous roots of the plant are very well-developed.

3.

verb

to wait; to await

archaic

Archaic or literary usage. Rarely used in modern spoken Chinese except in set phrases.

Xū须
yú臾
zhī之
jiān间
 ，
tiān天
sè色
yǐ已
biàn变
 。

In a brief moment, the weather had already changed.

Qiě且
xū须
piàn片
kè刻
 ，
róng容
wǒ我
shōu收
shi拾
 。

Please wait a moment and allow me to pack up.