犯不着
it is not worth (doing); there is no need to
Structure
（为…） 犯不着 动词短语 ／ 犯得着 …吗？
What it means
It is not worth it; there is no need to. It says an action is out of proportion to its cause, which is usually something trivial.
How it is built
(为 + trivial cause) + 犯不着 + verb phrase: 犯不着为这件事生气 (it’s not worth getting angry about this). It can also end the sentence: 实在犯不着. Read fàn bu zháo; 着 is a result complement, as in 用不着.
When to use it
Spoken. The rhetorical question 犯得着…吗？ says the same: 为了省二十块钱跑那么远，犯得着吗？ In writing use 没有必要 or 不值得.
Watch out
It needs a verb phrase, not a bare noun: ✗犯不着这件事 ✓犯不着为这件事生气.
Examples
为一台快要报废的旧机器三番五次跑维修点，实在犯不着。
Trailing back to the repair shop time and again for a machine about to be scrapped is not worth the bother.
这点小事，你犯不着跟他生气。
It’s a trifle; there’s no point getting angry with him.
为了省二十块钱跑那么远，犯得着吗？
Going all that way to save twenty yuan: is it worth it?
Learn this in Lesson 130 · HSK 7–9: 修还是换 (Repair or replace?)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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