未必 wèibì not necessarily
not necessarily; maybe not
How to remember 未必: 未 not yet + 必 must = not necessarily.
Characters
How it is used
- Not necessarily / maybe not - 贵的未必好 (guì de wèibì hǎo) expensive doesn't necessarily mean good, 他未必会来 (tā wèibì huì lái) he may not come.
- An adverb softening/denying an assumption; expresses 'it isn't certain that…'.
- Contrast 不一定 (bù yídìng, not necessarily, colloquial); 未必 is slightly more literary and carries a hint of skepticism.
Example sentences
- 这项工作未必容易。 Zhèxiàng gōngzuò wèibì róngyì.This work is not necessarily easy.