90169
> 病気のことはそう心配する必要はない。

Can someone explain which そう this represents? Is it the そう that means appear
that is added to the masu stem of a verb? Or is it the 沿う, 総、添う, etc.?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-02T14:22:40.847
90167
2021-09-03T08:58:47.607
2021-09-02T23:06:06.303
30454
47028
question
meaning
What does そう mean in 「病気のことはそう心配する必要はない」?
This そう functions adverbially a bit like そんなに. Here そう means "like that" or
"in that manner". It's not equivalent to そんなに which would mean something more
akin to "to such an extent". I'm just saying it functions adverbially much
like そんなに does.

> 病気のことはそう心配する必要はない。

just means

> Regarding being sick, you don't need to worry like that.

a bit coincidentally, this そう is almost just like _so_ in English.

> Regarding being sick, you don't need to worry _so_.

Since it's not attached to any verb's masu-stem, you can rest assured it's not
that そう.

The other choices you provided

> 沿う is often seen in a context like 線路に沿って meaning _along the tracks_. This
> doesn't make sense in this context.

> 総 means _general_ as in _general election_ ; or _gross_ as in _gross weight_
> or _total_. This doesn't make sense in this context either.

> 添う means to _accompany_. Again, this doesn't really make sense in this
> context.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-02T14:35:14.430
90168
2021-09-02T14:41:02.087
2021-09-02T14:41:02.087
4875
4875
90167
answer
> **そう** 心配する必要は **ない** 。

From
[デジタル大辞泉](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E7%84%B6%E3%81%86/#jn-127918):

> そう〔さう〕【▽然う】 の解説  
>  ［副］  
>  ２ （あとに打消しの語を伴って）それほど。そんなに。「然う大きくない」

This そう is an adverb (副詞) that means それほど, そんなに, used with a negative word
(打消しの語) such as ～ない.

And from
[プログレッシブ和英中辞典](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/en/%E7%84%B6%E3%81%86/#je-42814):

> そう【▲然う】  
>  3〔それほど〕（▼否定文で）  
>  **そう** 驚くことはないよ  
>  You needn't be so surprised.  
>  **そう** 悪い人間でもないと思う  
>  I don't think he is such a bad person (as you seem to think).  
>  この本は **そう** 面白くない  
>  This book is not very interesting.

This そう means "not so~~" "not ... such~~" "not very~~", used in a negative
sentence (否定文). So your example means:

> "You don't have to worry so much about the illness."
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-02T15:07:31.920
90169
2021-09-02T15:17:03.917
2021-09-02T15:17:03.917
9831
9831
90167
answer