不必要 (bù bì yào) — unnecessary; not needed; unwarranted | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal adjective for 'unnecessary, unwarranted' — used in writing or official contexts. More emphatic and weightier than 不用 (don't have to), which is the everyday way to say something isn't required.

adjective

unnecessarynot neededunwarranted

Examples

不必要。
Zhè xiē bù bì yào de bù zhòu kě yǐ shěng lüè.
These unnecessary steps can be omitted.
不必要。
Nǐ bù xū yào dān xīn bù bì yào de shì qing.
You don't need to worry about unnecessary things.
不必要。
Zhè ge guī dìng wán quán shì bù bì yào de.
This rule is completely unnecessary.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

必要necessary

必bìmust要yàoneed

偏正Modifier + head

不 means not; with 必要 meaning necessary, the whole word means unnecessary.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 必 comes from the handle on the right side of a weapon, with two extra strokes added to its sides.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

Appears in

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