Chinese phrases
How to say what happened in Chinese
What happened in Chinese is 怎么了 (zěn me le). To ask about an event, such as sirens or a crowd in the street, say 发生什么事了 (fā shēng shén me shì le).
怎么了
what’s wrong? what happened?
Ways to say what happened
怎么了
Everydaywhat’s wrong? what happened?
The everyday question: someone looks upset, or you hear a crash in the next room. To one person: 你怎么了?
怎么啦
With friendswhat’s the matter?
Softer and warmer. To a child, a partner or a close friend.
发生什么事了
Everydaywhat happened?
About an event: sirens outside, a crowd in the street, a closed road.
出什么事了
Everydayhas something bad happened?
When you fear bad news: a phone call late at night, a friend who comes in pale.
咋了
With friendswhat’s up?
Northern and very casual, and common in chats all over China. 咋 is the northern word for 怎么.
怎么回事
Everydaywhat’s going on?
When something doesn’t add up: the bill is wrong, the shop is shut, the app won’t open. 这是怎么回事? can sound annoyed.
How to answer
没什么
nothing
When you don’t want to talk about it, or it really is nothing.
没事
it’s nothing; I’m fine
The most common answer, also after a small accident.
说来话长
it’s a long story
When there is a story, and you will tell it later.
Common mistakes
Saying 什么发生了
English puts “what” first. Chinese keeps 什么 where the answer goes: 发生什么事了? or 发生了什么?
Asking a person 你发生什么了
English says “What happened to you?”, but in Chinese 发生 needs an event, not a person. Ask a person 你怎么了? or 你出什么事了?
Saying 你怎么回事 to show concern
About a situation, 怎么回事 is neutral. Aimed at a person, 你怎么回事? means “What’s wrong with you?” and scolds. To show concern, ask 你怎么了? or 你没事吧?
A bad afternoon
你怎么了？脸色这么差。
Qiqi: What’s wrong? You look awful.
我的手机丢了。
Leon: I lost my phone.
怎么回事？
Qiqi: How did that happen?
我也不知道，下车就找不到了。
Leon: I don’t know. When I got off the bus, it was gone.
