根本
gēnběn
fundamental; (not) at all
Part of speech · adjective / adverb
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 这是问题的根本所在。This is where the root of the problem lies.
- 我根本不知道这件事。I don’t know about this at all.
Collocations
根本原因根本不从根本上根本问题
Mnemonic
根 gēn "root" + 本 běn "base": root and base, i.e. fundamental, the root. ① noun/adjective "fundamental" (根本原因) ② adverb in negatives meaning "(not) at all" (根本不知道 = don’t know at all). Note this adverbial use.
Related
基本本质彻底完全
Quick check
In 我根本不知道, what does 根本 mean?