何妨 (hé fáng) — (adv.) why not; might as well (used to make a p… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

何妨 (héfáng) is a formal, written way to say 'why not' / 'might as well' — used in rhetorical suggestions. It is more literary than the spoken 不如…吧 or 为什么不… and typically follows the verb, as in '试试何妨'.

adverb

(adv.) why notmight as well (used to make a polite suggestion or rhetorical question)

Examples

何妨？
hé fáng Shì shì kàn?
Why not give it a try?
，何妨？
Jì rán yǒu shí jiān, hé fáng yì qǐ qù?
Since we have time, why not go together?
何妨？
Zhè ge wèn tí hé fáng huàn gè jiǎo dù sī kǎo?
Why not think about this problem from another angle?

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

何 “what” and 妨 “hinder” build the sense “what hinders?” → why not.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

人人rénperson
戈戈gēdagger-axe

The old form of 何 drew a person carrying something on their shoulder. If the carried thing was a 戈, the 人 and 戈 parts together showed that picture.

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

女方妨

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

方

方fāng妨fáng

Same sound today

妨 pairs 女 (woman) with 方, which once meant taking up space, to show someone being blocked from approaching a woman.

Appears in

Attitudes & Opinions Communication & Speech

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