Chinese [ edit ]
Etymology 1 [ edit ]
main part of something; to manage; to work
main part of something; to manage; to work; to do; capable; tree trunk; to kill (slang)
(question tag); morphine
trad. (幹嗎 )
幹
嗎
simp. (干吗 )
干
吗
alternative forms
幹嘛 / 干嘛 幹麼 / 干么
幹 (“to do”) + 嗎 (“(dialectal Mandarin, e.g. Tianjin ) what”). Colloquial; the formal equivalent in Standard Mandarin is 做 什麼 or 幹 什麼 .
The second element is cognate with 麼 (me ) in Standard Mandarin 什麼 / 什么 (shénme , “what”), and is usually written as 嘛 when writing Tianjin dialect. Dictionaries only consider toneless ma (declarative particle ) as the only proper use of 嘛 . All other senses, including the dialectally influenced pronunciation of má ("what") and the interrogative particle of ma , are considered incorrect. However, there is much confusion in actual writing, possibly with 幹嘛 being used more commonly for this sense.
Pronunciation [ edit ]
幹嗎
( colloquial ) what is (someone) doing; what is going on
你 現在 幹嗎 呢 ? [MSC , trad. ] 你 现在 干吗 呢 ? [MSC , simp. ] Nǐ xiànzài gànmá ne? [Pinyin] What are you doing now?
( colloquial ) what is wrong; what is up
你 幹嗎 呀 ?/ 你 干吗 呀 ? ― Nǐ gànmá ya? ― What's up with you?
幹嗎
( colloquial ) why ; why on earth ; whatever for
你 幹嗎 折磨 自己 啊 ! [MSC , trad. ] 你 干吗 折磨 自己 啊 ! [MSC , simp. ] Nǐ gànmá zhémó zìjǐ a! [Pinyin] Why are you torturing yourself?
Synonyms [ edit ]
Variety
Location
Words
Classical Chinese
何為 , 何以 , 何 , 何故 , 緣何 , 胡 , 奚 , 曷 , 胡為
Formal (Written Standard Chinese )
為什麼 , 為何 , 因何 , 何以
Mandarin
Beijing
為什麼 , 幹嗎 , 幹什麼
Taiwan
為什麼
Tianjin
為嘛
Harbin
為啥
Yantai (Muping)
為麼 , 為麼個
Jinan
為麼兒 , 為麼 , 幹麼兒 , 為什麼
Xi'an
為啥 , 因啥
Yinchuan
為啥
Lanzhou
為啥
Xining
為啥
Ürümqi
為啥
Wuhan
做麼事 , 為麼事
Chengdu
為啥子 , 做啥子
Guiyang
為哪樣 , 為些哪樣
Guilin
為什麼
Liuzhou
為什麼
Xiangtan (Jiangnan Industries Group koine)
為什麼
Xuzhou
為啥 , 擁啥 , 擁什麼
Yangzhou
甚們事 , 做事 , 做啥 , 為甚們 formal
Nanjing
為什麼
Hefei
怎搞 , 怎搞的
Malaysia
為什麼 , 做什麼 , 做麼
Singapore
為什麼 , 做什麼 , 做麼
Cantonese
Guangzhou
點解 , 做乜 , 做乜嘢 , 為乜 , 為乜為物 , 做乜事幹 , 因乜事幹 , 因乜解究 , 因乜緣故 , 何解 , 乜 , 咩
Hong Kong
點解 , 做乜 , 做乜嘢 , 做咩 , 為乜 , 為咩 , 做乜事幹 , 因乜事幹 , 因乜解究 , 因咩解究 , 因乜緣故 , 何解 , 乜 , 咩
Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)
做乜嘢
Macau
為乜嘢
Guangzhou (Panyu)
點解
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)
整乜嘢
Guangzhou (Zengcheng)
做乜嘢
Foshan
點解
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)
點解
Foshan (Shunde)
為乜嘢
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)
因乜嘢 , 點解
Zhongshan (Shiqi)
為乜嘢
Zhuhai (Qianshan)
為乜嘢
Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)
點解
Zhuhai (Doumen)
點解
Jiangmen (Baisha)
點解
Taishan
幾何 , 幾解 , 做乜 , 為乜 , 乜頭路
Kaiping (Chikan)
幾解
Enping (Niujiang)
做乜
Dongguan
點解 , 做乜嘢 , 做乜 , 為乜嘢
Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)
點解
Shenzhen (Dapeng)
點解
Yangjiang
為乜 , 為乜事 , 做乜 , 做乜事 , 做乜嘢
Hepu (Lianzhou)
為物底
Qinzhou
為乜嘢 , 為乜
Qinzhou (Xiniujiao)
為乜底
Beihai
為乜嘢
Beihai (Nankang)
做乜嘢
Beihai (Yingpan)
為乜底
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)
做乜嘢 , 為乜
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)
做乜嘢
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)
做乜嘢 , 為乜
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)
點解
Singapore (Guangfu)
點解
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)
做乜嘢
Móng Cái
點解 , 為乜
Yangon (Taishan)
幾解
Gan
Nanchang
為什哩
Pingxiang
為咋個 , 為咋哩 , 做咋個 , 做咋哩 , 何解
Hakka
Meixian
做麼個
Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)
做乜嘢 , 做嘢
Dongguan (Qingxi)
做麼個
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)
做麼個
Zhongshan (Wuguishan)
仰解 , 做乜嘢
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)
為乜嘢
Conghua (Lütian)
為麼個
Miaoli (N. Sixian)
做麼個
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)
做麼個
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)
做麼個
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)
做麼個
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)
做麼個
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)
做麼個
Hong Kong
做麼個
Jin
Taiyuan
為甚 , 因為甚 , 幹什
Xinzhou
𠰻們
Northern Min
Jian'ou
為孰事 , 做孰事
Eastern Min
Fuzhou
蔣其 , 蔣講 , 做什乇 , 做什名 , 幹乜勢 , 傒勢
Changle
傒勢
Fuqing
介計
Yongtai
蔣其
Gutian
做什乇
Fu'an
做乜乇
Ningde
做乇
Shouning
做呢乇
Zhouning
做乜乇
Fuding
做哪乇
Matsu
為什乇 , 蔣其 , 蔣講 , 做什乇 , 傒勢
Southern Min
Xiamen
為什物 , 按怎 , 物代 , 敢咧 , 創什物
Quanzhou
按怎 , 物代
Jinjiang
為啥物
Zhangzhou
按怎
Zhao'an
為甚物
Dongshan
為甚物
Taipei
為啥物 , 是按怎
Penang (Hokkien)
何物事 , 做物事 , 做物
Singapore (Hokkien)
按怎
Manila (Hokkien)
敢哪 , 敢哪誌
Chaozhou
做呢
Shantou
做呢
Shantou (Chaoyang)
做呢
Singapore (Teochew)
做呢
Leizhou
作乜 , 因乜
Wenchang
作乜 , 因乜 , 怎作
Haikou
作乜 , 作個乜 , 作乜物 , 因乜 , 因個乜
Singapore (Hainanese)
作乜
Zhongshan Min
Shaxi (Longdu)
為乜嘢
Southern Pinghua
Nanning (Tingzi)
做門 , 做哪門 , 為哪門
Waxiang
Guzhang (Gaofeng)
為什個
Wu
Shanghai
啥體 , 為啥 , 啥講究 , 為啥體 , 啥個講究 , 啥個路道 , 啥個緣故
Shanghai (Chongming)
為何 , 做何
Suzhou
為啥 , 為點啥 , 做啥 , 啥體 , 為啥體
Danyang
為點高 , 做點高
Hangzhou
為啥
Wenzhou
妝乜 , 為何呢 , 為乜事幹
Jinhua
為淡事幹 , 為待西
Xiang
Changsha
為麼子 , 何解
Xiangtan
奚解
Loudi
嗎介
Shuangfeng
為麼子 , 做麼子
Etymology 2 [ edit ]
main part of something; to manage; to work
main part of something; to manage; to work; to do; capable; tree trunk; to kill (slang)
(question tag); morphine
trad. (幹嗎 )
幹
嗎
simp. (干吗 )
干
吗
alternative forms
幹麼 / 干么
Pronunciation [ edit ]
幹嗎
幹 (“to do”) + 嗎 (“question particle ”)
這 事 你 幹嗎 ?/ 这 事 你 干吗 ? ― Zhè shì nǐ gàn ma ? ― Will you do this?
( vulgar ) 幹 (“to fuck”) + 嗎 (“question particle ”)
Alternative form of 幹嘛 ( “ to do + declarative particle ” )