LogeionPerseus analysis of χρή:
χρή (it is necessary): pres ind act 3rd sg
LSJ entry
χρή
χρή,
impers., Il. 1.216,
etc.; Aeol. χρῆ Alc. 20,
35,
46;
other forms are contractions (crases) of χρή (prob. orig. a neut. Subst.)
with forms of εἰμί (
sum):
fut. χρἤσται S. OC 504,
Fr. 599,
Pherecr. 103,
Ar. Fr. 362,
Phryn.Com. 34 (on this form, for which codd. generally have χρῆσται or χρῆσθαι, v. Sch.S. OCl. c.): subj. χρῇ S. Ph. 999,
E. Alc. 49,
Ar. Lys. 133;
opt. χρείη A. Pr. 215,
S. Tr. 162,
Lys. 12.44,
Pl. Euthphr. 4c;
inf. χρῆναι Democr. 276,
Ar. Ec. 210,
Antipho 5.84,
etc.; also χρῆν (v. infr. III); part. neut. pl. χρηεόντα (or χρὴ ἐόντα)
Democr. 174:
impf. ἐχρῆν Pi. N. 7.44,
A. Ch. 907,
S. Fr. 107.6 (only here in S.,
χρῆν l. 5),
Ar. Ra. 152,
al., Antipho 1.1,
And. 1.114,
Lys. 3.22,
al., Th. 6.57,
Pl. Prt. 335c,
D. 4.3,
al., etc.: freq. also without the augm., χρῆν Pi. Fr. 123.1,
S. El. 529,
579,
Tr. 1133,
Ar. Eq. 535 (anap.), al., Lys. 8.6,
al., Th. 3.63,
D. 15.33,
al., etc.; both forms in Ar. Ach. 540,
ἐρεῖ τις, οὐ χρῆν· ἀλλὰ τί ἐχρῆν εἴπατε:
fut. χρήσει Hdt. 7.8:—
A. it is necessary:
c. inf. praes. aut aor.,
it must needs, one must or ought to do (like δεῖ, which is only once used in Hom.),
νῦν δὲ χ. τετλάμεν ἔμπης Od. 3.209;
τὸν νῦν χ. κομέειν 6.207,
cf. Il. 1.216,
4.57,
etc.; σήμαινʼ ὅ τι χ. σοι συμπράσσειν A. Pr. 297(anap.); ὅτι χ. πάσχειν ἐθέλω ib.1067;
ὅ τι χρείη ποιεῖν Pl. Euthphr. 4c,
cf. 9a;
τούτου θανειν χρῆν αὐτὸν οὕνεκʼ ἐκ σέθεν; S. El. 579;
χρὴ τὸ λέγειν Parm. 6.1:
more freq. c. acc. pers. et inf.,
one must, ἐμὲ δὲ χ. γήραϊ πείθεσθαι Il. 23.644;
τῷ σε χ. πόλεμον . . παῦσαι 7.331;
οὐδέ τί σε χ. νηλεὲς ἦτορ ἔχειν 9.496;
τί χ. με . . στέγειν ἢ τί λέγειν; S. Ph. 135 (lyr.): χρῆν γὰρ Κανδαύλῃ γενέσθαι κακῶς (where γενέσθαι is inf. of an impers. verb) Hdt. 1.8.—Sts. the inf. must be supplied from the context, esp. in Hom. in phrases like τίπτε μάχης. ἀποπαύεαι; οὐδέ τί σε χρή (sc. ἀποπαύεσθαι)
Il. 16.721,
cf. 19.420;
ὅθι χ. πεζὸν ἐόντα (sc. μάρνασθαι)
Od. 9.50;
so in Trag. and Att.,
πορθεῖν ἃ μὴ χ. (sc. πορθεῖν)
A. Ag. 342;
φύς τʼ ἀφʼ ὧν οὐ χρῆν (sc. φῦναι)
, ξὺν οἷς τʼ οὐ χρῆν (sc. ὁμιλεῖν)
ὁμιλῶν S. OT 1184;
ἔκανες ὃν οὐ χρῆν (sc. κτεῖναι)
A. Ch. 930;
ἐπιπλεύσειέ τις ὡς χ. (sc. ἐπιπλεῦσαι)
Th. 2.89;
θύσαντες οἷς χ. (sc. θῦσαι)
Pl. R. 415e;
ἀκαιρότερον ὄντα ἢ χ. Id. Plt. 307e;
λαλεῖν μετὰ ἀφελείας ἔνθα χ. Longin. 34.2.;
so ὡς χ. A. Ag. 1556 (anap.), etc.—The impf. freq. expresses something that ought to have been, but is not, ἐνθάδʼ οὐ παραστατεῖ, ὡς χρῆν, Ὀρέστης ib.879,
cf. S. Tr. 1133;
and sts. stands for χρή, χρῆν τι λέγειν ὑμᾶς σοφὸν ῳ νικήσετε Ar. Pl. 487 (anap.), cf. 432:
abs., ἐρεῖτις, οὐ χρῆν· ἀλλὰ τί ἐχρῆν εἴπατε Id. Ach. 540.