TongTong
Sign in

不用说 (bú yòng shuō) — needless to say; it goes without saying

Definition

Used as a sentence connector meaning 'needless to say / it goes without saying' — signals that what follows is obvious. Often paired with 也 to stress certainty (这种事不用说也知道).

verb
needless to sayit goes without saying

Examples

  • 不用说，。
    bú yòng shuō, Tā yí dìng huì lái.
    Needless to say, he will definitely come.
  • 不用说。
    Zhè zhǒng shì bú yòng shuō yě zhī dào.
    This kind of thing goes without saying.
  • 不用说，。
    bú yòng shuō, Zhè ge jì huà hěn zhòng yào.
    Needless to say, this plan is very important.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 說; 说 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì說shuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 說 pairs 言 (meaning) with 兌 (sound); the simplified 说 is not the form described here.

Open 说 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.