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何必

hébì
adverb HSK 7-9 #7,325

Meanings

  1. 1 why must
  2. 2 there is no need to
  3. 3 why bother

Characters

何
hé
what; why (literary)
必
bì
must; necessarily
Literally "why must" - a rhetorical question implying there is no need

Examples

HSK 3
何必这么着急呢？
Hébì zhème zháojí ne?
Why bother being so anxious?
HSK 3
这点小事，何必生气？
Zhè diǎn xiǎoshì, hébì shēngqì?
It's such a small matter, why get angry?

Tips

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.

Stroke Order

何 hé
必 bì