Meaning of 本事
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- ability
- skill
- source material
- original story
How to use 本事
In everyday speech 本事 (běnshi) means ability or skill, often with 有 or 没 in front, and it can praise someone or tease them. Example: 他真有本事。(Tā zhēn yǒu běnshi.) He is really capable. The fourth-tone reading běnshì, meaning source material or an original story, is rare and mostly literary.
本 (běn) means root or foundation, and 事 (shì) means matter or affair. Your 本事 is what you can do at the root, the real ability you bring to any task.
Common mistake: Learners often say the second syllable as a full fourth tone. In the common meaning "ability" it is neutral, běnshi, and the full-tone běnshì is the literary "source story" sense. Also, 本事 is a noun, so say 有本事 (yǒu běnshi), not 很本事.
本事 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
本 běn · root · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
事 shì · matter · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 本事.
| 没事儿 | méishìr | to have spare time; free from work |
| 本子 | běnzi | book; notebook |
| 课本 | kèběn | textbook |
| 事情 | shìqing | affair; matter; thing; business |
| 故事 | gùshi | old practice |
| 好事 | hǎoshì | good action, deed, thing or work (also sarcastic, "a fine thing indeed"); charity |
| 同事 | tóngshì | colleague; co-worker |
| 笔记本 | bǐjìběn | notebook (stationery) (CL:本[ben3]); (computing) laptop; notebook (abbr. for 筆記本電腦|笔记本电脑[bi |
| 根本 | gēnběn | fundamental; basic |
| 本来 | běnlái | original; originally |
| 事实 | shìshí | fact |
| 事实上 | shìshíshang | in fact; in reality |
Questions about 本事
What does 本事 mean?
本事 (běnshi) means "ability; skill" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 本事?
本事 is made of 2 characters: 本 (5 strokes), 事 (8 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 本事 an HSK word?
Yes. 本事 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 有本事你来 mean?
It is a challenge, like "If you are so good, you try it." Here 有本事 is used sarcastically to dare someone. The tone is confrontational, so use it carefully.
How is 本事 different from 能力 (nénglì)?
能力 is a neutral, more formal word for ability, common in writing and job contexts. 本事 is more colloquial and often suggests practical skill or cleverness at getting things done.