根本

Chinese

		radical (chem.); root; basis	roots or stems of plants; origin; source roots or stems of plants; origin; source; this; the current; root; foundation; basis; (a measure word)
simp. and trad. (根本)		根	本

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): gēnběn

(Zhuyin): ㄍㄣㄅㄣˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): gan¹ bun²
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): kîn-pún
Jin (Wiktionary): geng¹ beng²
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): kun-pún / kin-pún

(Teochew, Peng'im): geng¹ bung² / gêng¹ beng² / ging¹ beng²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gēnběn
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄣㄅㄣˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: genběn
  - Wade–Giles: kên¹-pên³
  - Yale: gēn-běn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: genbeen
  - Palladius: гэньбэнь (gɛnʹbɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kən⁵⁵ pən²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: gan¹ bun²
  - Yale: gān bún
  - Cantonese Pinyin: gan¹ bun²
  - Guangdong Romanization: gen¹ bun²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɐn⁵⁵ puːn³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kîn-pún
  - Hakka Romanization System: gin^ˊ bun^ˋ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: gin¹ bun³
  - Sinological IPA: /kin²⁴ pun³¹/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: geng¹ beng²
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /kəŋ¹¹ pəŋ⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kun-pún
  - Tâi-lô: kun-pún
  - Phofsit Daibuun: kunpuon
  - IPA (Xiamen): /kun⁴⁴⁻²² pun⁵³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /kun⁴⁴⁻³³ pun⁵³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /kun³³ pun⁵⁵⁴/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kin-pún
  - Tâi-lô: kin-pún
  - Phofsit Daibuun: kinpuon
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /kin⁴⁴⁻³³ pun⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /kin⁴⁴⁻²² pun⁵³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: geng¹ bung² / gêng¹ beng² / ging¹ beng²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kṳng púng / keng pṳ́ng / king pṳ́ng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɯŋ³³⁻²³ puŋ⁵²/, /keŋ³³⁻²³ pɯŋ⁵²/, /kiŋ³³⁻²³ pɯŋ⁵²/

Note:

geng1 bung2 - Chaozhou;
gêng1 beng2 - Jieyang;
ging1 beng2 - Chaoyang.

Adjective

根本

fundamental; basic; essential
對我來說，我們國家的根本問題是我們的教育制度。 [MSC, trad.]
对我来说，我们国家的根本问题是我们的教育制度。 [MSC, simp.]
Duì wǒ láishuō, wǒmen guójiā de gēnběn wèntí shì wǒmen de jiàoyù zhìdù. [Pinyin]
The way I see it, our country's basic problem is our education system.

語言學習的根本法則是用進廢退。 [MSC, trad.]
语言学习的根本法则是用进废退。 [MSC, simp.]
Yǔyán xuéxí de gēnběn fǎzé shì yòngjìnfèituì. [Pinyin]
A fundamental rule of language learning is: Use it, or lose it.

Synonyms

edit

主要 (zhǔyào) (most important)
吃勁 / 吃劲 (chījìn) (colloquial)
吃緊 / 吃紧 (chījǐn)
基本 (jīběn)
當家 / 当家 (dāngjiā) (attributive, most important)
要緊 / 要紧 (yàojǐn)
重大
重要 (zhòngyào)
關鍵 / 关键 (guānjiàn)

Adverb

根本

(usually negative) at all; simply; absolutely
他根本不知道從哪裡入手找工作。 [MSC, trad.]
他根本不知道从哪里入手找工作。 [MSC, simp.]
Tā gēnběn bù zhīdào cóng nǎlǐ rùshǒu zhǎo gōngzuò. [Pinyin]
He has absolutely no idea how to start looking for work.

她根本就沒有童年。 [MSC, trad.]
她根本就没有童年。 [MSC, simp.]
Tā gēnběn jiù méiyǒu tóngnián. [Pinyin]
She didn't have any kind of childhood.

這一群不食人間煙火的人，根本不知道別人的實際痛苦！ [MSC, trad.]
这一群不食人间烟火的人，根本不知道别人的实际痛苦！ [MSC, simp.]
Zhè yī qún bùshírénjiānyānhuǒ de rén, gēnběn bù zhīdào biérén de shíjì tòngkǔ! [Pinyin]
These people who are out of touch with reality just don't understand the real suffering of others!

Synonyms

(chiefly Mandarin, colloquial) 壓根／压根 (yàgēn)
(Xiang) 兜底 (dōudǐ)

Noun

根本

root; foundation; base; basis
我們應該把握問題的根本。 [MSC, trad.]
我们应该把握问题的根本。 [MSC, simp.]
Wǒmen yīnggāi bǎwò wèntí de gēnběn. [Pinyin]
We should get to the root of the problem.

我想從根本解決問題。 [MSC, trad.]
我想从根本解决问题。 [MSC, simp.]
Wǒ xiǎng cóng gēnběn jiějué wèntí. [Pinyin]
I'd like to settle this problem once and for all.
- 臣聞求木之長者，必固其根本；欲流之遠者，必浚其泉源；思國之安者，必積其德義。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  臣闻求木之长者，必固其根本；欲流之远者，必浚其泉源；思国之安者，必积其德义。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: 637, 魏徵 (Wei Zheng),《諫太宗十思疏》
  Chén wén qiú mù zhī cháng zhě, bì gù qí gēnběn; yù liú zhī yuǎn zhě, bì jùn qí quányuán; sī guó zhī ān zhě, bì jī qí déyì. [Pinyin]
  I, your humble subject, have learned that to expect a tree to grow, one must strengthen its roots, to hope that a river runs far, one must dredge its source, to wish stability to a state, one must make himself abound in virtues.