Chinese word

怎样

Pronunciation

Pinyinzěn yàng

Meaning

  • adverbhow

Example

你怎样做这个菜？nǐ zěn yàng zuò zhè ge cài

How do you make this dish?

Illustration for 怎样 (how)

More examples

放学后他们讨论怎样做作业。fàng xué hòu tā men tǎo lùn zěn yàng zuò zuò yè

After school, they discussed how to do their homework.

Core concept

An open question about the way an action happens or the state something is in.

Common phrases

  • 怎样买东西zěn yàng mǎi dōng xī

    how to buy things

  • 怎样做作业zěn yàng zuò zuò yè

    how to do homework

Similar words

怎么zěn me: Asks how an action is done and is common in casual speech.
怎么样zěn me yàng: Asks about the condition or quality of something after its topic.

Definition in Chinese

用于询问行为的方法或事物的状况的疑问副词，可问“如何做”也可问“怎么样”。yòng yú xún wèn xíng wéi de fāng fǎ huò shì wù de zhuàng kuàng de yí wèn fù cí kě wèn rú hé zuò yě kě wèn zěn me yàng

Word origin

怎 (zěn, "how") + 样 (yàng, "form or appearance") combine to ask about either the manner of an action or the condition of something.

Usage tips

  • Before a verb, it asks how an action is done; after a noun or topic, it asks what that thing is like.

Word lists with this word