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
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): vi-pit

(Hailu, HRS): vui^˖ bid
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bī-pit

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/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vi-pit
  - Hakka Romanization System: vi bid^ˋ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: vi⁴ bid⁵
  - Sinological IPA: /vi⁵⁵ pit̚²/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: vui^˖ bid
  - Sinological IPA: /vui³³ pit⁵/
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/

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	/mʉi^H/	/piɪt̚/
Pan Wuyun	/mʷɨi^H/	/pit̚/
Shao Rongfen	/miuəi^H/	/pjet̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/muj^H/	/pit̚/
Li Rong	/miuəi^H/	/piĕt̚/
Wang Li	/mĭwəi^H/	/pĭĕt̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/mwe̯i^H/	/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	‹ mjɨj^H ›	‹ mjɨj^H ›	‹ 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

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。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
  如实论之，卜筮不问天地，蓍龟未必神灵。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, 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)