未必

Chinese

		not yet; 8th earthly branch; 1–3 p.m.	certainly; must; will certainly; must; will; necessarily
simp. and trad. (未必)		未	必

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wèibì

  (Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˋ ㄅㄧˋ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): mei⁶ bit¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): mei⁵ bit²

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bī-pit

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wèibì
    • Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˋ ㄅㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wèibì
    • Wade–Giles: wei⁴-pi⁴
    • Yale: wèi-bì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: weybih
    • Palladius: вэйби (vɛjbi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 偽幣／伪币 未必 畏避 胃壁

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: mei⁶ bit¹
    • Yale: meih bīt
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mei⁶ bit⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: méi⁶ bid¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mei̯²² piːt̚⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: mei⁵ bit²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ᵐbei³² pit̚⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bī-pit
    • Tâi-lô: bī-pit
    • Phofsit Daibuun: bixpid
    • IPA (Xiamen): /bi²²⁻²¹ pit̚³²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /bi⁴¹⁻²² pit̚⁵/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /bi²²⁻²¹ pit̚³²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /bi³³⁻¹¹ pit̚³²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /bi³³⁻²¹ pit̚³²/

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• Middle Chinese: mj+jH pjit

Rime
Character	未	必
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	微 (21)	質 (48)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	無沸切	卑吉切
Baxter	mj+jH	pjit
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mʉiH/	/piɪt̚/
Pan Wuyun	/mʷɨiH/	/pit̚/
Shao Rongfen	/miuəiH/	/pjet̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mujH/	/pit̚/
Li Rong	/miuəiH/	/piĕt̚/
Wang Li	/mĭwəiH/	/pĭĕt̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/mwe̯iH/	/pi̯ĕt̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wèi	bi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mei6	bat1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*m[ə]t-s  pi[t]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*mɯds  pliɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	未	未	必
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	wèi	wèi	bì
Middle Chinese	‹ mjɨjH ›	‹ mjɨjH ›	‹ pjit ›
Old Chinese	/*m[ə]t-s/	/*m[ə]t-s/	/*pi[t]/
English	not yet	8th earthly branch	necessarily
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	未	必
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	12917	568
Phonetic component	未	必
Rime group	隊	質
Rime subdivision	1	2
Corresponding MC rime	未	必
Old Chinese	/*mɯds/	/*pliɡ/
Notes	從屮從木與芔字同根， 陳獨秀雲木上加屮象幼枝

Adverb

未必

1. may not; not necessarily

   它未必符合我們的國情。 [MSC, trad.]
   它未必符合我们的国情。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tā wèibì fúhé wǒmen de guóqíng. [Pinyin]

   It may not conform to our national conditions.

   • 如實論之，卜筮不問天地，蓍龜未必神靈。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     如实论之，卜筮不问天地，蓍龟未必神灵。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Wang Chong, Lun Heng (Discussive Weighing), 80 CE

     Rúshí lùn zhī, bǔshì bùwèn tiāndì, shīguī wèibì shénlíng. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Synonyms

• 不一定 (bùyīdìng)
• 不必 (bùbì)
• 不見得／不见得 (bùjiàndé)
• 唔一定 (m⁴ jat¹ ding⁶) (Cantonese)
• 未嘗／未尝 (wèicháng) (literary)
• 未始 (wèishǐ) (literary)
• 未必然 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 未見得／未见得 (uei⁴ jienn⁴ de⁶) (Xiang)
• 無一定／无一定 (Hokkien)
• 無定著／无定著 (Min Nan)
• 無拄拄／无拄拄 (Hokkien)
• 無的確／无的确 (Min Nan)