必修
bìxiū · HSK 6
required/obligatory
📚 必 = must + 修 = study; a must-study course
必 means must/necessary, 修 means to study or cultivate. Together: a course you must take. Contrast with 选修 (xuǎnxiū), where 选 = choose, meaning an elective course.
必 — heart 心 + slash 丿
Originally depicted a handle or marker driven through something, suggesting a fixed standard. The form was later reanalyzed as 心 (heart) with a stroke through it, reinforcing the sense of inner certainty. It came to mean 'must' or 'certainly'.
修 — 亻 person + 攸 (phonetic) + 彡 hair/decoration
修 combines 攸 (a phonetic component originally showing a person being washed) with 彡, which depicts flowing hair or ornamental strokes. The 彡 element suggests grooming, polishing, or adorning, giving 修 its core meaning of cultivating, repairing, or refining oneself or things.