何必…呢
why bother …? there is no need
Structure
何必 动词 呢 ？
What it means
“Why bother …?”, “there’s no need”: a rhetorical question meaning 不必.
How it is built
何必 + verb + 呢？: 都是朋友，何必这么客气呢？ (We are all friends. Why be so formal?)
When to use it
Use it to talk someone out of something or tell them not to worry. 何苦 is stronger: “why put yourself through it”.
Watch out
Don’t confuse it with 何况, “let alone”. And don’t answer it as a real question: it means 不必.
Examples
既然买不起房，何必把自己累坏呢？
Since a flat is out of reach anyway, why wear yourself out?
都是朋友，何必这么客气呢？
We are all friends. Why be so formal?
Learn this in Lesson 29 · HSK 5–6: 996、内卷与躺平 (Overwork, involution and lying flat)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
Open the lesson →