What's happening

[yhe2006]

I would like to know if it is proper to say 你干什么 to start a conversation with someone to mean "what's been happening to you". Is there another better phase for what I want to say?

[Demonic_Duck]

That's more like "what are you doing?" The phrase you want is "最近怎么样？"

[heifeng]

The short answer is no, your sentence is not what you are after, refer to the post above for a suggestion, or you can ask if he/she has been busy lately最近忙不忙？ But, on a related note if you really want to use '干‘ （to do) in a casual environment w/ your buddies you could say 'what are you up to' which is more like 干嘛呢， or shorter still 嘛呢？ Otherwise if you flat out say 你干什么(!) it almost sounds like they are doing something they shouldn't be* (干嘛呢 could also be used like that as well but of course, as with many expressions, the context & how you say it needs to be taken under consideration)

*Have you said this already, what has been the response?

[yhe2006]

Thanks for the response. As I understand it, I can say 怎么样？ to say "how it going?"

[歐博思]

With a friendly tone of voice, and meeting someone walking somewhere, just by adding "去啊" to your phrase could make it sound more friendly, too.

干什么去啊？？

maybe like: what are you off to do?

I still bet the shorter 干嘛 versions would sound more natural in informal situations. The way I modified it, it may sound better if you are actually walking somewhere when you meet someone-- maybe not necessarily corresponding to the desired translation.

Like heifeng said, tone of voice can have a big effect.

[tooironic]

你（在）干什么？ = What are you doing?

你干嘛呢？ = What are you up to?

你（最近）怎么样？ = How have you been (lately)?

Little bit of a difference here. Note that 干 is slightly more informal than 做, which I would consider a neutral word. It's important to remember, also, that 你干嘛呢？ is usually used between friends, not strangers.

[abcdefg]

As I understand it, I can say 怎么样？ to say "how it going?"

过的怎么样 or 最近过得怎么样 are better, at least in my neck of the woods.

Stuff like this will get straightened out quickly in casual conversation with friends. Don't agonize about it at home. Just plunge in with some kind of vaguely social greeting and you will get corrections, plus you can copy what your friends say to you. They may not think you are Mr. Perfection Ultimate Cool, but you will learn the way your peers says these things real fast.

Language like this is very situational. Some young kids with their skateboards might say one thing when meeting at the park, whereas middle aged bankers meeting at Starbucks would say something else.

[ATkinG]

你怎么了 is used for what's up

[imron]

你怎么了 is used for what's up

I think this is used more for 'What's wrong/what's the matter?"

[Lu]

Or 你最近忙什么 What have you been up to/been doing lately?

怎么样 for 'How are you' is fine in China, but impolite in Taiwan, there you should say 你最近怎么样.

[Kenny同志]

怎么样 for 'How are you' is fine in China, but impolite in Taiwan,

I don't think so. 怎麼樣 is rude for how are you on the mainland, too. Plus, it's weird. If someone said that to me, I probably would throw 什麽怎麼樣 at that person.

[陳德聰]

怎么样 is what I say if I'm looking for a fight.

[linkdong]

你干什么？Is more likely a good start for a quarrel rather than a friendly conversation. It is not only impolite but also aggresive to say this sentence to a stranger. Consider this scene: some guy you don't know peek into your wallet. You close your wallet quickly and say:"你干什么？”

[MandarinCslpod]

A natural way of Chinese daily greeting to friends or starting a conversation is to repeat what they are doing with question tones.

For example, if you meet a friend coming back, the best way to start a conversation is, 哟，回来啦？

If you meet a friend who is having dinner with family, the best and natural way to start a conversation is 哟，吃饭呢？

If you meet a friend who is reading a book, and you want to talk to him/her, the best sentence is 哟，看书呢？