About
The character "甭" represents a relatively recent and pragmatic innovation within the Chinese writing system, originating not from an ancient pictograph but from a deliberate fusion of two existing characters: "不" (bù, meaning "not") placed above "用" (yòng, meaning "to use"). This construction is a direct visual and conceptual representation of its meaning, "need not" or "don't bother to", effectively creating an ideogrammic compound where the combined parts convey the negation of use. Its emergence is attributed to colloquial spoken Mandarin, where the phrase "不用" (búyòng) was frequently elided in fast speech, leading to a contracted pronunciation close to "béng", for which this new character was then devised as a written counterpart. The form has remained consistent as a simplified, colloquial expression, with its traditional form being identical, and its meaning has stayed closely tied to its etymological origin without significant semantic shift, serving primarily in informal contexts to convey dismissal or the absence of necessity.
Example Sentences Hide
这事儿你甭担心。
你甭管那么多。
他来了也甭理他。
这些旧东西甭要了。
甭说这些客套话了。
你甭跟我提那件事。
甭管天气怎样，我都去。
他心里甭提有多高兴了。