有本事

Mandarin · pinyin yǒu běn shi

Meanings

  1. to have what it takes
  2. (coll.) (often followed by 就 jiù) (used to challenge sb) if you're so clever, ..., if she's so tough, ... etc
  3. Example: 有本事就打我 yǒu běn shi jiù dǎ wǒ Hit me if you dare!
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Characters in this entry

有
yǒu · have, own, possess; exist
本
běn · root, origin, source; basis
事
shì · affair, matter, business; to serve; accident, incident
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–3–5 · you3 ben3 shi5

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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有本事 · you3 ben3 shi5
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 55,063
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record有本事 有本事 [you3 ben3 shi5] /to have what it takes/(coll.) (often followed by 就[jiu4]) (used to challenge sb) if you're so clever, ..., if she's so tough, ... etc/Example: 有本事就打我[you3 ben3 shi5 jiu4 da3 wo3] Hit me if you dare!/