不妨: no harm in, might as well
【高30】情态副词 / adverbs
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
不妨 + verb gently recommends an action that has no downside and may even help: "there's no harm in", "might as well", "why not". The character 妨 means "to hinder", so 不妨 = "it doesn't hinder". 据说这个药效果很好，你不妨试一试 (they say this medicine works very well: you might as well try it).
It is polite advice, addressed to the listener (你不妨……) or to the group with 咱们 (咱们不妨听一听别人的建议). The verb is often reduplicated or followed by 一下 / 看看 / 试试. It works in speech and in writing, with a friendly tone: you also read it in advice columns (读者朋友不妨……).
It is milder than 应该 ("should") and 最好 ("it would be best"), which push harder, and it never expresses an order or an obligation. Don't mix it up with 索性 ("might as well go all the way"), the radical decision a speaker takes for themselves.
Examples
你不妨问问老师，说不定他有办法。
Nǐ bùfáng wènwen lǎoshī, shuōbudìng tā yǒu bànfǎ.You might as well ask the teacher; he may well have a solution.
据说这个药效果很好，你不妨试一试。
Jùshuō zhè ge yào xiàoguǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ bùfáng shì yi shì.They say this medicine works very well, so you might as well give it a try.
关于这个问题，咱们不妨听一听别人的建议。
Guānyú zhè ge wèntí, zánmen bùfáng tīng yi tīng biérén de jiànyì.On this question, we might as well hear what others suggest.
如果实在想不出办法，不妨换个角度想想。
Rúguǒ shízài xiǎng bu chū bànfǎ, bùfáng huàn ge jiǎodù xiǎngxiang.If you really can't think of a way, you might look at it from a different angle.
周末要是没事，你不妨去郊外走走，放松一下。
Zhōumò yàoshi méi shì, nǐ bùfáng qù jiāowài zǒuzou, fàngsōng yíxià.If you're free at the weekend, why not take a walk out of town and relax?
没有冰糖的话，不妨先用白砂糖试试，只是火要更小。
Méiyǒu bīngtáng de huà, bùfáng xiān yòng báishātáng shìshi, zhǐshì huǒ yào gèng xiǎo.If you have no rock sugar, you might try white sugar first, only with a lower flame.
Common mistakes
✗ 不妨一下。 → ✓ 不妨试一下。 (不妨 goes before a verb: 一下 cannot stand alone).
✗ 这里很危险，你不妨小心一点。 → ✓ 这里很危险，你一定要小心。 (不妨 offers something harmless; it is not used for a warning or a duty).
✗ 你不防试一试。 → ✓ 你不妨试一试。 (妨 is written with the 女 radical; 防 means "to guard against").