DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

勢在必行

简势在必行 · 繁勢在必行

Mandarin · pinyin shì zài bì xíng

circumstances require action (idiom); absolutely necessary
imperative

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

勢: Look up this written character
在: zài · be at, in, on; consist in, rest
必: bì · surely, most certainly; must
行: xíng · go; walk; move, travel; circulate; Kangxi radical 144
势: shì · power, force; tendency

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–4–4–2 · shi4 zai4 bi4 xing2

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

勢在必行 · find source passages ↗ · 势在必行 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sai3 zoi6 bit1 hang4

Cantonese word readings for 勢在必行. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to be imperative or necessary under such circumstances

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack