不管

• Pinyin: bù guǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 不 = negative marker; 管 = 竹 (bamboo) + 官 (official, phonetic) — originally a bamboo tube, extended to 'manage'

Meaning

No matter; regardless of. A conjunction used to express that something remains true under all conditions.

Typically followed by a question word or paired options (A还是B), and often paired with 都 or 也 in the main clause. Similar to 无论 but slightly more colloquial. Very common in spoken Chinese for expressing determination or universal conditions.

Examples

1. 不管天气怎么样，他每天都坚持跑步。 No matter what the weather is like, he insists on running every day.
2. 不管你去还是不去，我都会去。 Whether you go or not, I will go.
3. 不管遇到什么困难，我们都不应该放弃。 No matter what difficulties we encounter, we should not give up.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, formal, written

Tone: determined

Do Say

• 不管多累，她都会完成作业。(No matter how tired she is, she will finish her homework.)
• 不管结果如何，我们尽力了。(Regardless of the result, we gave our best effort.)

Don't Say

• 单独用'不管'结束句子 (Don't end a sentence with just 不管 — it needs a following clause with 都 or 也, e.g. 不管怎样，我都支持你)

Origin & History

不 (not) + 管 (to concern oneself with, to manage). The literal sense is 'not concerning oneself with [the conditions]', hence 'regardless of'.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal