根本
gēnběn
fundamental; basic; root
Every meaning
gēnběn
- root; foundation
- fundamental; basic
- (used with negatives) at all; simply (as in 根本不知道)
Its characters
Words with 根
Words with 本
Meanings are from Mandarin The Wild’s own dictionary. Levels follow the official HSK word list (the exam’s 2025 syllabus, levels 7–9 shown together).