Why bother / no need (何苦/何须)

Structure 何苦 + Verb + (呢)？ · 何须 + Verb

何苦 (hékǔ) and 何须 (héxū) are two cultivated rhetorical questions that advise AGAINST doing something — the older siblings of 何必 (hébì, HSK 4). 何苦 stresses wasted SUFFERING or effort: "why put yourself through…?" — 何苦为小事生气 = "why get upset over a trifle?". 何须 denies NECESSITY: "there's no need to…, what need is there to…?" — 既已决定，何须再犹豫 = "once it's decided, why keep hesitating?". Both are pure rhetoric: the question amounts to a denial and expects no answer. 何须 is markedly literary; 何苦 also lives in cultivated speech and often closes with 呢.

Examples

何hé苦kǔ为wèi这zhè点diǎn小xiǎo事shì跟gēn他tā生shēng气qì呢ne？
Why make yourself miserable getting angry at him over such a trifle?
既jì已yǐ决jué定dìng，何hé须xū再zài三sān犹yóu豫yù？
Once the decision is made, what need is there to keep hesitating?
事shì实shí俱jù在zài，何hé须xū多duō言yán。
The facts speak for themselves; there's no need to say more.
你nǐ何hé苦kǔ把bǎ所suǒ有yǒu责zé任rèn都dōu揽lǎn到dào自zì己jǐ身shēn上shàng？
Why take all the blame onto yourself?

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