想必 (xiǎng bì) — presumably, most probably (used for a confident…

Definition

想必 is a written, formal adverb for drawing a confident inference ('presumably, most likely'). It sounds more literary than the everyday 我想/我觉得.

auxiliary verb

presumablymost probably (used for a confident inference based on reason or evidence)

想必。
xiǎng bì Nǐ yǐ jīng zhī dào le zhè ge xiāo xi.
You must have already heard about this news.
，想必。
Tā zhè me jiǔ méi lái, xiǎng bì shì yù dào le shén me má fan.
He hasn't come for so long — presumably he ran into some trouble.
想必。
xiǎng bì Dà jiā dōu míng bai zhè ge dào lǐ.
I believe everyone understands this principle.

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bìcertainly

想必 means a confident inference: 想 (suppose) and 必 (certainly) together imply 'presumably'.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

相心想

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart, mind

Sound part声符shēngfú

相

Same sound today

想 has 心 (heart, mind) below 相 (to look at); the shape shows the mind looking at or considering something, and 相 also gives the sound.

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.

Appears in