Usage of 怎么 in questions

[alayeer]

Hey everyone. I'm a bit confused when it comes to using 怎么 in a sentence. According to what I have read before, you can use 怎么 to ask "how" and "why". The latter can also be asked using 为什么, however it's not widely used among locals compared to 怎么. My problem is: sometimes when someone is using 怎么 in a question, I find it hard to distinguish whether he means "how" or he means "why.

 

For example : 

1. 你怎么学中文？ Nǐ zěnme xué zhōngwén? -> Does this question mean "why do you study Chinese?" or "how do you study Chinese"?

2. 你怎么来这里？Nǐ zěnme lái zhèlǐ? -> Does this mean "why did you come here?" or "how did you come here?"

Could anyone explain to me how to tell the difference? Much appreciated!

[Yorin]

为什么 is a neutral way of asking "why?". The person asking is just curious about something.

 

怎么 is not so hard to understand, it works basically the same way as it does in English:

 

A) It's a neutral way of asking "how?", as in "How do you pronounce this character?"

The person asking is just curious about something.

 

B) It's a way of asking "why?", but it implies an accusation/reproach. In English, you will also say:

"How could you say such a nasty thing to her?", "How could you come late again?" etc.

Although you say "how", you're not really asking "which way" or "by which means".

What you really want to know is "why", you're making a reproach and asking for a justification.

It's the same way in Chinese.

 

The only way to know whether 怎么 is used to express A oder B is from context.

For example, if someone asks the question "你怎么来这里？" you need to know from context if they

really want to know how you got there, of if they might have a reason to be annoyed by you coming.

[tooironic]

Consider the following translations:

 

Why do you study Chinese? 你为什么学中文？

How do you study Chinese? 你通过什么方式学中文？or 你如何学中文？ or 你怎么学中文的？

Why did you come here? 你为什么来到这里？

How did you come here? 你通过什么方式来到这里？or 你如何来到这里？or 你怎么来到这里的？

 

[roddy]

Anything 怎么不 will be a why or how come. I think. 

[Yorin]

 

Anything 怎么不 will be a why or how come. I think.

 

Not necessarily, you could think of a question like: "怎么不让老师发现我作弊?", and it could really be a question of "how?".

[roddy]

You're right. 

[alayeer]

Guys, I think I quite understand it now. So, the point is I have to see the context first to be able to know whether 怎么 means "why" or "how" because it could mean both.

It's actually only confusing when the question is too 'simple & short' like the example I gave. However when the person uses 为什么 instead of 怎么, or the question gets more elaboration and becomes " 你怎么学中文的？" it's easier to immediately distinguish between the two.

Thanks for the help everyone!

[ZhangJiang]

If you have to use the same sentence and without context, then the intonation comes into place. It means How when 怎么 is stressed and Why when it's not. Ask a native speaker to repeat the sentence with different intended meanings and you will hear it.

[Angelina]

Consider 这个怎么卖？

 

This how sell? This why sell? 

 

The meaning is closer to how, but it is not a 100% equivalent. 

[tooironic]

Ah yes, I forgot that particular usage of 怎么.

 

这个怎么卖？How much does this cost? (Or: How much are you selling this for?)

你怎么收费？How much do you charge?

 

In this situation, 怎么 should not be translated as "how" or "why" but "how much".

[Angelina]

Exactly. 怎么 is not 'how', not 'why', 怎么 is 怎么.

[tooironic]

Yes, but we should provide some more usages of 怎么 so it is clearer to the OP.

 

Some common 怎么 sentences off the top of my head:

 

怎么办？What do I/we do?

怎么回事？What happened?

这怎么行呢？How can this be acceptable?

你怎么啦？Are you OK? / What's wrong with you? (你 can be replaced by 他, a person's name, etc.)

怎么这么慢！How can this be so slow? (慢 can be replaced by other adjectives like 贵、难、冷、坑爹 etc.)

 

Well, there are more than that, but these are the simplest and most common, so you can start with these.

[alayeer]

Wow, since I am still a beginner in Chinese, I had no idea that 怎么 can even be used to ask for price. No wonder I heard lots of 怎么 in many Chinese movies. The meanings are very comprehensive I guess.