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干什么 (gàn shén me) — (verb phrase) to be doing what; what (is someone) doing?; (verb phrase, rhetorical) what's the point; why are you doing that?

Definition

干什么 is the colloquial way to ask 'what are you doing?' or 'what's the point?' — like a casual 呢-question (你在干什么呢?). Stronger/more rhetorical than 为什么 for challenging a reason.

verb
(verb phrase) to be doing whatwhat (is someone) doing?(verb phrase, rhetorical) what's the pointwhy are you doing that?

Examples

  • 干什么？
    Nǐ zài gàn shén me ne?
    What are you doing?
  • 干什么？！
    Nǐ gàn shén me ne? hái bú kuài zǒu!
    What are you doing? Hurry up and go!
  • 干什么？
    Nǐ gàn shén me yào zhè me duō?
    What do you want so many for?

Origin

Characters in this word

The simplified 干 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (饼干, 干杯) it is 乾; in others (干, 干活儿) (干扰) it is 幹 or 干.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 乾; 干 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
乙乙yǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
倝
倝gàn乾gān
Same sound today
Open 干 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 什 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 麼; 么 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
幺幺yāosmall, tiny
Sound part声符shēngfú
麻
麻má麼
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 麼 pairs 麻, which gives the sound, with 幺, which means small/tiny; the simplified 么 is a later shorthand.

Open 么 →
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