Chinese phrases
How to say whatever in Chinese
Whatever in Chinese is 随便 (suí biàn), “anything is fine.” It is the classic answer to “what shall we eat?”, and also the answer that most annoys the person who asked.
随便
whatever; anything is fine
Ways to say whatever
随便
Everydaywhatever; anything
When you really have no preference. It hands the choice back, so it can sound lazy.
都行
Everydayeither is fine
Warmer than 随便, for a choice between a few things: tea or coffee, today or tomorrow.
都可以
Everydayanything works for me
Polite and easy-going. Good with a host, a colleague or someone you just met.
听你的
With friendsyour call; I’ll go with you
Friendly: you trust the other person’s choice. Common between couples and friends.
你定吧
With friendsyou decide
You pass the decision on. Fine once, but not every time.
无所谓
With friendsI don’t care; it doesn’t matter
Can be neutral (“it makes no difference to me”) or cool and dismissive. The tone decides.
随你便
With friendssuit yourself
The annoyed “whatever!” in an argument. It ends the talk and sounds cold.
Common mistakes
Saying 随便 when someone asks what to eat
随便 leaves all the work to the other person, and then every idea gets a no. Many Chinese people joke about it for this reason. Name one thing you would like, or say 都行 and give one idea.
Saying 无所谓 to a host
To a host, 无所谓 can sound like you do not care about their effort. When they offer tea or juice, say 都可以，谢谢.
Thinking 随便 always sounds rude
In a shop, the assistant’s 随便看看 means “feel free to look around,” and your 我随便看看 means “I’m just looking.” At home, 随便坐 means “sit anywhere.” All of these are friendly.
Choosing dinner
晚上吃什么？
Leon: What shall we eat tonight?
随便。
Qiqi: Whatever.
火锅？
Leon: Hot pot?
太辣了，不想吃。
Qiqi: Too spicy. I don’t feel like it.
你不是说随便吗？
Leon: Didn’t you say “whatever”?
