用不着 from HSK Level 5 Vocabulary List

The Chinese word "用不着" is composed of three characters: "用", "不", and "着". The character "用" means "to use", "不" means "not", and "着" means "to need". Together, these three characters form the phrase "用不着", which literally means "not needing to use". In other words, it means "unnecessary" or "not worth doing".This phrase is often used in everyday conversation to express the idea that something is not necessary or worth doing. For example, if someone asks you to do something that you don't think is necessary, you can say "用不着" to politely decline.The etymology of this phrase can be traced back to the ancient Chinese language. The character "用" was originally a pictograph of a hand holding a tool, which represented the idea of "using" something. The character "不" was originally a pictograph of a person with their arms crossed, which represented the idea of "not". The character "着" was originally a pictograph of a person leaning on a stick, which represented the idea of "needing" something.Over time, these three characters evolved into their current forms and meanings, and the phrase "用不着" came to be used in the way that it is today.