Comparing "bangmang" and "bangzhu"
帮忙 (bāngmáng) and 帮助 (bāngzhù) are both verbs that mean "to help" and can sometimes be used interchangeably. 帮忙 is used in informal settings, whereas 帮助 is used in both informal and formal contexts. Only 帮忙 is used in the sense of lending a hand or doing a favor, and is composed of the verb 帮 plus the object 忙 (this is called a separable verb). A final difference is only 帮助 can be followed by an object (usually a person or pronoun) or used as a noun.
| 帮忙 (bāngmáng) | 帮助 (bāngzhù) | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to lend a hand, to do a favor | to help; help |
| Part of Speech | verb | verb, noun |
| Formality | informal | flexible |
Contents
帮忙 (bāngmáng) is used informally to mean "help out"
帮忙 is informal and is used frequently in spoken Mandarin to request or offer some assistance. Because 帮忙 is a separable verb, the 帮 part is the verb and the 忙 part is a noun (meaning something like "a favor"). Since separable verbs can be separated, you're going to see all kinds of variations and patterns using 帮忙.
Common Phrases
- 帮帮忙 help out
- 帮 个 忙 help out
- 帮 不了 忙 can't help out
- 帮 不 帮忙 help out or not
- 帮 过 忙 helped out before
帮助 is NOT a separable verb, so it cannot be used in similar patterns.
Example Sentences
- 请 你 帮帮 忙！这次 就 不 要 罚款 了。Please help! No fines this time.
- 别 玩 了，过来 帮帮 忙 吧。Stop playing and come over here to help out.
- 你 现在 有 时间 吗？我 想 请 你 帮 个 忙。Do you have a moment now? I'd like to ask you a favour.
- 他 是 一 个 热心 人，他 帮 过 很 多 人 的 忙。He is a warm-hearted man who has helped many people.
- 不好意思，这次 我 帮 不了 你 的 忙。Sorry, I can't help you out this time.
- 我们 的 人 已经 够 了，明天 不 需要 你 来 帮忙 了。We've got enough people. We don't need your help tomorrow.
- 我 想 找 他 帮忙，但是 我 不 好意思 说。I wanted to ask him for help, but I was too embarrassed to say so.
- 他 平时 工作 很 忙，家里 的 事 他 从不 帮忙。He's usually very busy at work and he never helps out with housework.
- 非常 感谢，你 这次 帮 了 我 一 个 大 忙。Thank you so much. You've done me a huge favor this time.
- 大家 听 完 他 说 的 话 以后 都 表示 要 帮忙。Everyone offered to help out after hearing what he had to say.
帮助 (bāngzhù) is a verb and can be followed by an object
帮忙 cannot be followed by an object, since 忙 is already the object of 帮. Unlike 帮忙, 帮助 allows you to put an object (such as a person) directly after it.
Example Sentences
- 你 能 来 帮助 我们 就 好 了。It would be great if you could come and help us.
- 帮助 别人 就是 帮助 你 自己 。Helping others is helping yourself.
- 我 知道 你 是 一 个 喜欢 帮助 别人 的 人。I know you are a person who likes to help others.
- 我 希望 你 可以 帮助 我 学习 中文。I hope you can help me learn Chinese.
- 谢谢 你 今天 帮助 我 解决 了 这些 问题。Thank you for helping me with this today.
- 帮助 别人 会 让 你 变得 更 快乐。You will become happier by helping others.
- 这本 书 让 我 懂得 了 你 帮助 别人，别人 也 会 帮助 你。This book has taught me that if you help others, they will help you too.
- 我 永远 不 会 忘记 帮助 过 我 的 人。I will never forget the people who have helped me.
- 只要 你们 有 需要，我们 会 尽力 帮助 你们。We will try to help you whenever you are in need.
- 在 你 遇到 困难 的 时候 愿意 帮助 你 的 朋友 才 是 真正 的 朋友。A friend who is willing to help you when you are in trouble is a true friend.
帮助 (bāngzhù) is also a noun
If you want to say something like "thank you for your help," then you need to use a noun. 帮助 can fill this role.
Example Sentences
- 谢谢 你 的 帮助 。Thank you for your help.
- 在 大家 的 帮助 下，我 按时 完成 了 这个 任务。With everyone's help I was able to finish this on time.
- 如果 没有 你 的 帮助 ，我 可能 会 迟到。Without your help, I would have been late.
- 今天 的 中文 课 对 我 的 帮助 很 大。The Chinese lesson today helped me a lot.
- 我 非常 感激 你 的 批评 和 帮助。I am very grateful for your criticism and help.
- 你们 比 我们 更 需要 帮助 。You need help more than we do.
- 我 刚刚 来 中国，在 生活 上 你们 可以 提供 哪些 帮助 ？I have just arrived in China, what help can you provide in terms of living?
- 你 这样 做 对 我 一点 帮助 也 没有。You're not helping me at all by doing this.
- 当 你 需要 帮助 的 时候，请 记得 给 我 打 电话。When you need help, please remember to call me.
- 在 你 的 老家 有没有 需要 帮助 的 朋友？Do you have any friends in your hometown who need help?
Sources and further reading
AllSet Learning Wikis
- Separable verb (Chinese Grammar Wiki)
