Level 5 · Advanced
Why bother: 何必
何必 + Verb Phrase（呢）？
何必 (hébì) asks "why bother?" — a rhetorical question implying the action is unnecessary: 都是朋友，何必这么客气？ "we're all friends, why be so formal?"
Because the question is rhetorical, it ends with 呢 or nothing at all — never 吗. A softer cousin is 何必呢 on its own, said when watching someone make life harder than it needs to be.
Examples
都是朋友，何必这么客气？
都是朋友，何必這麼客氣？
dōu shì péng you hé bì zhè me kè qi
We're all friends here — why be so polite?
事情已经过去了，何必生气呢？
事情已經過去了，何必生氣呢？
shì qing yǐ jīng guò qù le hé bì shēng qì ne
It's over and done with — why stay angry?
网上就能买到，何必跑一趟商店？
網上就能買到，何必跑一趟商店？
wǎng shàng jiù néng mǎi dào hé bì pǎo yī tàng shāng diàn
You can buy it online — why make a trip to the store?
他不想去就算了，何必勉强他？
他不想去就算了，何必勉強他？
tā bù xiǎng qù jiù suàn le hé bì miǎn qiǎng tā
If he doesn't want to go, so be it — why force him?
Common mistakes
✗ 你何必去银行吗？
✓ 你何必去银行呢？
何必 is already a rhetorical question — it takes 呢 (or nothing), never 吗.
Related grammar points
See it in a story
Read this pattern in context: Chapter 8: The Clever Battle with the Red Boy — free graded stories with tap-to-reveal pinyin and translations.
