何必

hébì

adverb HSK 7 #7,325

Meanings

Literally "why must" — a rhetorical question implying there is no need

Hébì zhème zhāojí ne?

Why bother being so anxious?

Zhè diǎn xiǎo shì, hébì shēngqì?

It's such a small matter, why get angry?

usage

何必 is used in rhetorical questions to suggest that something is unnecessary. It is more literary than 干嘛 (gànma) or 为什么要 (wèishénme yào).

grammar

Pattern: 何必 + verb phrase + 呢？The 呢 is optional but softens the tone.

何 hé

必 bì