Comparing "bangmang" and "bangzhu"
帮忙 (bāngmáng) and 帮助 (bāngzhù) both are 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 |
