必 (bì)

certainly; must; will; necessarily

Etymology

Pictograph of a weapon handle, now written as 柲. 八 was later added as a decorative mark. Similar to 戈 but without the blade. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》:“必,分極也。从八、弋,弋亦聲。”

Original meaning

weapon handle