Chinese
Pronunciation
Adverb
怎麼 (chiefly Mandarin)
- how
- 北京怎麼去？／北京怎么去？ ― Běijīng zěnme qù? ― How do you get to Beijing?
「動人」用英文怎麼說？ [MSC, trad.]
「动人」用英文怎么说？ [MSC, simp.]- “Dòngrén” yòng yīngwén zěnme shuō? [Pinyin]
- How do you say dòngrén in English?
這是怎麼回事呀？ [MSC, trad.]
这是怎么回事呀？ [MSC, simp.]- Zhè shì zěnme huí shì ya? [Pinyin]
- How did this happen?
- 怎麼會這樣呢？／怎么会这样呢？ ― Zěnme huì zhèyàng ne? ― How could that be?
- how come; why
他今天怎麼沒來上學？ [MSC, trad.]
他今天怎么没来上学？ [MSC, simp.]- Tā jīntiān zěnme méi lái shàngxué? [Pinyin]
- How come he didn't come to school today?
你怎麼花了那麼長時間啊？ [MSC, trad.]
你怎么花了那么长时间啊？ [MSC, simp.]- Nǐ zěnme huā le nàme cháng shíjiān a? [Pinyin]
- Why did it take you so long?
- in what way; what
我是怎麼跟你說的？ [MSC, trad.]
我是怎么跟你说的？ [MSC, simp.]- Wǒ shì zěnme gēn nǐ shuō de? [Pinyin]
- What did I tell you?
閉嘴，我怎麼說你就怎麼辦！ [MSC, trad.]
闭嘴，我怎么说你就怎么办！ [MSC, simp.]- Bìzuǐ, wǒ zěnme shuō nǐ jiù zěnme bàn! [Pinyin]
- Shut up and do what I say!
- used to indicate a degree, usually of inadequacy or inferiority
我的女兒現在三歲，還都不怎麼會寫字。 [MSC, trad.]
我的女儿现在三岁，还都不怎么会写字。 [MSC, simp.]- Wǒ de nǚ'ér xiànzài sān suì, hái dōu bù zěnme huì xiězì. [Pinyin]
- My daughter is just three years old and cannot write anything very well.
我很喜歡唱歌，但是我還不怎麼會唱。 [MSC, trad.]
我很喜欢唱歌，但是我还不怎么会唱。 [MSC, simp.]- Wǒ hěn xǐhuān chànggē, dànshì wǒ hái bù zěnme huì chàng. [Pinyin]
- I love singing, but I'm not very good at it.
我現在還不怎麼會打網球，但是在老師的教導下，一定能提高我的水平！ [MSC, trad.]
我现在还不怎么会打网球，但是在老师的教导下，一定能提高我的水平！ [MSC, simp.]- Wǒ xiànzài hái bù zěnme huì dǎ wǎngqiú, dànshì zài lǎoshī de jiàodǎo xià, yīdìng néng tígāo wǒ de shuǐpíng! [Pinyin]
- I'm not that great at tennis now, but I will definitely improve under my teacher's guidance!
Verb
怎麼 (chiefly Mandarin)
- to do or become in what way
- 你怎麼了？／你怎么了？ ― Nǐ zěnme le? ― (“In what way did you go?”) What happened to you?
- 我怎麼你了？／我怎么你了？ ― Wǒ zěnme nǐ le? ― (“What in a specific way did I do to you?”) What did I do to you?
Synonyms
- (how; why): 怎生 (zěnshēng) (obsolete)
Dialectal synonyms of 怎麼 (“how”) [map]
| Variety
|
Location
|
Words
|
| Classical Chinese
|
何, 如何
|
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese)
|
怎麼
|
| Northeastern Mandarin
|
Beijing
|
怎麼
|
| Taiwan
|
怎麼
|
| Singapore
|
怎麼
|
| Jilu Mandarin
|
Jinan
|
怎麼
|
| Central Plains Mandarin
|
Xi'an
|
咋, 咋樣兒
|
| Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)
|
咋, 咋的個, 咋麼, 咋麼個
|
| Southwestern Mandarin
|
Chengdu
|
咋, 咋個, 啷個
|
| Chongqing
|
啷個
|
| Wuhan
|
麼, 麼樣, 哪樣
|
| Jianghuai Mandarin
|
Yangzhou
|
井幹
|
| Hefei
|
怎樣, 怎
|
| Cantonese
|
Guangzhou
|
點, 點樣
|
| Hong Kong
|
點, 點樣
|
| Taishan
|
幾何
|
| Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)
|
點
|
| Singapore (Guangfu)
|
點
|
| Gan
|
Nanchang
|
啷, 啷樣
|
| Hakka
|
Meixian
|
仰般, 仰仔
|
| Wuhua (Meilin)
|
仰般
|
| Heyuan (Bendihua)
|
仰來
|
| Miaoli (N. Sixian)
|
仰般, 仰仔
|
| Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)
|
仰仔
|
| Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)
|
仰般
|
| Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)
|
仰脣, 仰
|
| Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)
|
仰般, 仰般形
|
| Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)
|
仰子
|
| Huizhou
|
Jixi
|
采翹
|
| Jin
|
Taiyuan
|
咋, 咋底
|
| Eastern Min
|
Fuzhou
|
怎怎, 怎, 怎其
|
| Fuqing
|
安難, 怎生
|
| Singapore (Fuqing)
|
安難
|
| Southern Min
|
Xiamen
|
按怎, 怎影
|
| Taipei
|
按怎
|
| Penang (Hokkien)
|
按怎
|
| Singapore (Hokkien)
|
按怎
|
| Manila (Hokkien)
|
障仔, 按怎, 怎
|
| Chaozhou
|
在生, 乜生, 做呢, 做物
|
| Raoping
|
做呢
|
| Shantou
|
做呢
|
| Jieyang
|
做呢
|
| Haifeng
|
做呢
|
| Singapore (Teochew)
|
做呢, 做物
|
| Batam (Teochew)
|
做呢物, 做物
|
| Wenchang
|
怎作, 作乜
|
| Haikou
|
咋作
|
| Singapore (Hainanese)
|
怎作
|
| Wu
|
Shanghai
|
哪能
|
| Suzhou
|
捺亨
|
| Ningbo
|
咋, 咋貌, 咋貌介
|
| Wenzhou
|
訾那, 訾那能
|
| Xiang
|
Changsha
|
何什, 何裡
|
| Shuangfeng
|
麼家
|
Derived terms
See also
- 怎樣／怎样 (zěnyàng, “in what way”)
- 什麼／什么 (shénme, “what”)
- 誰／谁 (shéi, “who”)
- 什麼時候／什么时候 (shénme shíhou, “when”)
- 哪裡／哪里 (nǎlǐ, “where”)
- 哪兒／哪儿 (nǎr, “where”)