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Characters/Character Families/须
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须xū

must; to have to (必须,务须); beard; moustache — facial hair (胡须,须眉); whisker-like parts (触须,须根)

须 xū has two separate jobs: must and need (必须), and — from the old beard character — whiskers (胡须, 触须).

GF0025–2021 character list · 二级
One character pageAll readings and linked senses stay together.

WHOLE GLYPH & STRUCTURE

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ZDIC: 会意，从页、从彡 — the old form 頁 pictured a head, with 彡 as hair streaks (ZDIC: 彡 表毛饰): the beard face. Source caution handled: the modern 页 as a standalone word means page — that page meaning is NOT projected back onto the old head sense; the must/need sense and the beard sense are separate sense groups (the beard sense came through the old 鬚, merged into 须).

left / right · 须

WHOLE CHARACTER

须xū

must; to have to (必须,务须); beard; moustache — facial hair (胡须,须眉); whisker-like parts (触须,须根)

须 xū has two separate jobs: must and need (必须), and — from the old beard character — whiskers (胡须, 触须).

ZDIC: 会意，从页、从彡 — the old form 頁 pictured a head, with 彡 as hair streaks (ZDIC: 彡 表毛饰): the beard face. Source caution handled: the modern 页 as a standalone word means page — that page meaning is NOT projected back onto the old head sense; the must/need sense and the beard sense are separate sense groups (the beard sense came through the old 鬚, merged into 须).

LEFT: THE STREAKS PIECE — HAIR MARKS

彡shān

hair; the three-stripe radical

The stripe radical; the shade lines in 影's classic account.

In 须: left: the streaks piece — hair marks The three-streak radical; no sound relation to xū is claimed.

RIGHT: THE 页 SIDE

页yè

page; the head radical (from 頁)

A standalone character meaning page; as a right-side piece in many characters it is the head side. Each page states its own role and limits.

In 须: right: the 页 side Historically the head form; today 页 alone means page — the two meanings are kept apart.

xūTone 1
  • must; to have to (必须,务须)
  • beard; moustache — facial hair (胡须,须眉)
  • whisker-like parts (触须,须根)
  • 必须bìxūmust; to have to
  • 胡须húxūbeard; moustache
  • 触须chùxūantenna; tentacle; feeler

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