Comparing "bangmang" and "bangzhu"
帮忙 and 帮助 both are verbs that mean to help and can sometimes be used interchangeably. Yet, these words have differences, firstly as 帮忙 is used in informal settings, whereas 帮助 is used in informal or formal settings. As well, only 帮忙 is used in the sense of lending a hand or doing a favor, and when used in this sense it is often separated and other “stuff” can be put inside (this is called a separable verb). A final difference is only 帮助 can be followed by an object (usually a person or pronoun).
| 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 |
