怎么 vs. 怎样

[lockdoc]

Hi everybody,

I have normally always used 怎么 for "how"

比如说:

+ 到《place》怎么走?

+ 你是怎么打开的？

Now I have seen something in my textbook:

怎样打招呼？

Which means (in my translation): How to say hello/How to greet

This made me really confused, because now there are two "how"-words.

I asked my chinese friend and she told me, that those two words are not the same and have some different meaning.

She only speaks chinese and could not quite explain it to me, so that i was able to understand it (as my chinese is not that good).

Could you please help me on that topic with a little explanation and a few examples.

Thank you

潘图

[skylee]

There is nothing wrong to have more than one word meaning the same thing, is there?

怎麼 can also mean why. Take a look -> http://humanum.arts....ory=wholerecord

怎

Adv

How, why: 怎麼 [zen3me0], 怎樣 [zen3yang4]↓;

5. 怎麼 [zen3me0] ([zen3me0]), adv., (1) why: 你怎麼不來 why didn't you come? (2) how: 這怎麼好，怎麼辦 what shall we (I) do? (“how to handle this?”); (3) however, whatever: 怎麼說他也不聽 he will not listen, however you speak to him, whatever you say; adv., (4) excl., what! 怎麼，你還在這兒麼 what! are you still here?

6. 怎麼樣 [zen3me0yang4], phr., (1) how is (s.o., s.t.): 你看這枝筆怎麼樣 what do you think of this pen? 那個病人怎麼樣 how is that patient? phr., (2) what’s the matter: 你要怎麼樣 what's the matter with you? are you looking for trouble?

10. 怎樣 [zen3yang4], adv., see [zen3me0yang4]↑.

[SOFTRAIN]

怎麼 can mean "how" or "how come (why)", depending on the context.

怎麼做? How to do it?

他怎麼不來? How come is he not coming?

Many people (especially the Taiwanese) use 怎樣 interchangeably with 怎麼.

怎樣 can also be interpreted as an abbreviation for 怎麼樣.

怎麼樣? How do you feel about it?

怎麼樣! How about it!

怎麼樣? So what? What do you have to say about it? (in a daring tone)

怎麼樣了﹖What happened﹖

Yet another way to say "how" or "how come" is 如何.

[lockdoc]

So if I got it right, i can interchangely use 怎么 and 怎样。

So I could say both:

怎样打招呼？

怎么打招呼？

到《place》怎样走?

到《place》怎么走?

你是怎样打开的

你是怎么打开的

Is that correct?