需: Formal Need or Requirement in Chinese
需
需 is the concise formal counterpart of 需要 when it introduces something required. It appears before a noun or action, especially in notices, reports, and careful writing, and often follows 仍 or 尚. It is not a modal suffix, so it cannot trail the action or combine redundantly with 需要.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Subject + 仍 / 尚 + 需 + Verb phrase
Read the structure
需 is the concise formal counterpart of 需要 when it introduces something required. It appears before a noun or action, especially in notices, reports, and careful writing, and often follows 仍 or 尚. It is not a modal suffix, so it cannot trail the action or combine redundantly with 需要. Keep the model Subject + 仍 / 尚 + 需 + Verb phrase visible while you compare each sentence.
父亲的身体需休养一段时间。
Father needs to recuperate for a period of time.
Choose the right context
State a requirement concisely in formal writing. Use 仍需 or 尚需 for a requirement that remains. Place it before the action or resource required.
我们仍需耐心等待。
We still need to wait patiently.
Respect the boundary
Do not place 需 after its complement. Do not stack 需 and 需要 for the same requirement. Do not use it as the noun 需求 without a head noun.
我们耐心等待需。
(We patiently wait need.)
Repair the pattern
需 follows the action it governs: 需 must precede the required action phrase 耐心等待. Two need verbs are stacked: 需 and 需要 express the same requirement here; choose one rather than stacking both.
我们需耐心等待。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
父亲的身体需休养一段时间。
Father needs to recuperate for a period of time.
父亲
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
的
仍 / 尚
This part occupies the 仍 / 尚 position in the model pattern.
身体
需
This part occupies the 需 position in the model pattern.
需
Verb phrase
This part occupies the Verb phrase position in the model pattern.
休养
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
一段
仍 / 尚
This part occupies the 仍 / 尚 position in the model pattern.
时间
需
This part occupies the 需 position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
父亲的身体需休养一段时间。
Father needs to recuperate for a period of time.
我们仍需耐心等待。
We still need to wait patiently.
申请人需提供身份证明。
Applicants need to provide proof of identity.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- State a requirement concisely in formal writing.
- Use 仍需 or 尚需 for a requirement that remains.
- Place it before the action or resource required.
Do not use it when
- Do not place 需 after its complement.
- Do not stack 需 and 需要 for the same requirement.
- Do not use it as the noun 需求 without a head noun.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
我们耐心等待需。
我们需耐心等待。
需 follows the action it governs
需 must precede the required action phrase 耐心等待.
申请人需需要提供证明。
申请人需提供证明。
Two need verbs are stacked
需 and 需要 express the same requirement here; choose one rather than stacking both.
我们耐心等待需。
需 must precede the required action phrase 耐心等待.
申请人需需要提供证明。
需 and 需要 express the same requirement here; choose one rather than stacking both.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 需.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 需. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
需: Formal Need or Requirement Questions
How is 需 different from 需要?
需 is shorter and more formal. 需要 is neutral and common in both speech and writing.
Can a noun follow 需?
Yes. Formal writing allows phrases such as 本项目需三名工作人员.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: GF0025-2021 Appendix A, combined Levels 7–9 item 【七—九001】, 能愿动词：需 (printed p. 236)
Supports placement in the official combined Levels 7-9 band; the exact site level remains an internal difficulty label; it does not independently establish the usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: Chapter 12, §§12.4 and 12.6, modal verbs expressing necessity and their preverbal position
Supports placing a necessity modal before its required action and distinguishes it from the following complement.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Compare
吧吧 for Suggestions
Compare this lesson with 吧 softening a suggestion or proposed action; both belong to requests, suggestions, and obligation, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
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请请 in Polite Commands
Compare this lesson with 请 introducing a polite request; both belong to requests, suggestions, and obligation, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
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得得: Strong Practical Obligation
Compare this lesson with 得 marking an everyday necessity or obligation; both belong to requests, suggestions, and obligation, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Continue learning
需要需要: Needing Something or an Action
Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.
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Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.