犯不着 (fán bu zháo) — (colloquial) not worth it; there's no need to | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Colloquial phrase meaning 'not worth it' or 'there's no need to' — used to talk someone out of doing something small or pointless.

verb

(colloquial) not worth itthere's no need to

Examples

犯不着。
Nǐ fán bu zháo wèi zhè zhǒng xiǎo shì shēng qì.
You don't need to get angry over such a small matter.
犯不着。
Wèi zhè diǎn qián fán bu zháo pǎo nà me yuǎn.
It's not worth going that far for such a small amount of money.
犯不着。
Tā fán bu zháo gēn nǐ jì jiào.
He doesn't need to argue with you.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

不着not worth

不bùnot着zhereach

偏正Modifier + head

犯 gives the idea of incurring, while 不着 says it is not worth reaching or doing.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢎘

𢎘𢎘犯fàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

犯 combines 犬 and 𢎘: 犬 gives the meaning, and 𢎘 gives the sound.

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.

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 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě著zháo

Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Attitudes & Opinions

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