干吗 (gàn má) — (colloquial) to do what; why

Definition

干吗 (gàn má) is a casual, spoken expression used to ask 'why?' or 'what for?' — never in writing. Pairs with 不 to ask 'why didn't…?', as in 你干吗不…?

verb
(colloquial) to do whatwhy

Examples

  • 干吗
    Nǐ gàn má ne?
    What are you doing?
  • 干吗
    Nǐ gàn má bù zǎo diǎn gào sù wǒ?
    Why didn't you tell me earlier?
  • 干吗
    Tā gàn má zǒng shì bù kāi xīn?
    Why is he always unhappy?

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