# 干嘛



## feeskaa

I also could not find the words "gan ma 干嘛" in the dictionary!!

Thanks a lot!!!

Moderator's Note: This thread has been split to a new discussion: *liú 留*


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## jsrwang

幹嘛 means either 幹什麼 or 為什麼. For example, 你在幹嘛 means "what are you doing?" 你幹嘛要這樣做 means "why did you have to do this?"


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## BODYholic

feeskaa said:


> I also could not find the words "gan ma 干嘛"



You have to be extra careful when you use these words. They are informal and the English equivalent is 'What is the problem?'. You used this when someone interrupted your actions (e.g. reading, daydreaming and etc). You also don't use this to someone of senior status (e.g. your parents, teachers, boss and etc) or to someone who is unfamiliar.


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## feeskaa

Good to know!! Thank you BODYholic  شُكْرًا


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## SimonTsai

SimonTsai said:


> I have just corrected post 2 and would like to thank @hx1997 and @philchinamusical.


I am sorry, but I would like to take the correction back.

I did a Google search and found the three: 幹嘛, 幹麼, and 幹嗎, currently in use:

幹麼: seems to be standard in Taiwan and is what I prefer.
幹嘛: is commonly used both in Taiwan and in Mainland China. (See post 4, 5, and 11 in the linked thread.)
幹嗎: seems to be distinct from 幹嘛 for Mainland Chinese but can hardly work for me, rarely seen in Taiwan.​EDIT:
Below is the distinction made by some Mainland Chinese:

*幹嗎*: for questions
[1] 我知道一個港口搬運工的活，你要試著去幹嗎？
[2] 人家又沒招惹你，你幹嗎去招惹人家？

*幹嘛*: for statements
[3] 他自己要幹嘛，我有甚麼辦法。​As a Taiwanese, in case [2], I would use 幹麼 rather than 幹嗎.


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## retrogradedwithwind

吗(嘛)，啥，么，哈(东北人说干哈)，等等这些吧，我觉得就是同一个字，只不过在不同方言里读音稍有区别而已(其实读音还是非常接近的)。具体用法，大差不差基本一样。

上面的这么嘛(啥么哈等等)，意思是为什么或者什么。和单纯的疑问句语气词"吗"不一样。

嗯……其实……嘛么啥哈，和"何"也很接近？


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## SimonTsai

retrogradedwithwind said:


> 和单纯的疑问句语气词"吗"不一样。


I agree. I think that 嗎 is chiefly, if not only, for yes-no questions.


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## Skatinginbc

In Taiwan:
幹麼 ma2 = 為什麼, 作什麼, e.g., 你幹麼打我, 你打我幹麼.
幹嘛 ma0 ==> "嘛"用作句末語助詞, 無義, e.g., 要幹就好好幹嘛, 別拖拖拉拉, 像為老娘送葬似的.
幹嗎 ma0 ==> "嗎"表疑問語氣, e.g., 他若用槍逼你，你會照著幹嗎？


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## stephenlearner

1.干吗？ 2.干么？are for questions. 吗 and 么 works interchangeably for me. In slow and clear speech, I would say 吗, but in fast speech, I think my 吗 changes to 么.
For instance: 吃饭了吗/么？

嘛 never works for questions in my speech.


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## garbage_cnbeta

你要是见到一个人不知道他在干什么，可以问他“你在干嘛”，意思是what are you doing?
要是你在干什么事，别人叫你一声，你回过头，回复他“干嘛”，意思what's up?


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## Thime

大家好！
I was wondering... if someone tells me something shocking and unexpected, can I answer "干嘛" ? Meaning "what the heck!" 

非常感谢！


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## Lamb67

No.


*What the heck? What the devil?* _interj__slang_ (disbelief, incomprehension)搞什么鬼？

"Gan ma" could be used to show a shock instead 😁
Actually both a surprise and a shock will do.
So put it into a sentence if you can please.
The Pleco has given " why on earth?"


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## Thime

Ok, so I can use 干嘛 to show a shock.
Someone tells me something shocking and unexpected, and I say: 干嘛!
In this case, how can I translate 干嘛? Something like: "What!"


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## SuperXW

Thime said:


> 大家好！
> I was wondering... if someone tells me something shocking and unexpected, can I answer "干嘛" ? Meaning "what the heck!"


Depending on the context.
The literal meaning of 干嘛 is "doing what?" and usually conveys "for what?/why?" It MAY mean "what the heck" sometimes.

For "something shocking and unexpected":
Friend: "Take off your shirt." You" "干嘛？！" - natural
Friend: "Your house is on fire!" You: "干嘛？！" - no


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