你猜怎么着
nǐ cāi zěnme zhe
The English phrase "guess what" is translated into Chinese as 你猜怎么着 (nǐ cāi zěnme zhe).
你猜怎么着 is used to build suspense or introduce a piece of news, often when the speaker is about to reveal something surprising or even if the news is actually quite mundane.
Meaning: used to dramatize the unsurprising (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 你 (you), 猜 (guess), 怎么 (how/what) and 着 (a particle indicating a state or ongoing action).
Which one should you use?
你猜怎么着 is used to introduce news or build suspense, whereas 猜猜看 means "Take a guess."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
你猜怎么着 is highly colloquial and is most commonly used in spoken, informal Chinese rather than in formal writing. The phrase 猜猜看 is informal.
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ cāi zěnme zhe
Did you know?
- The word 猜 is related to the ancient practice of divination, meaning that 'guessing' in Chinese carries a subtle historical link to predicting the future.
- Unlike English where 'guess what' is often a rhetorical lead-in, a Chinese speaker might actually pause and wait for the listener to respond with 怎么了 (what happened) before continuing.
- The character 着 in this phrase is a structural particle rather than a verb, serving to emphasize the state of the situation being presented.
Examples in context
- 你猜猜看！我升职了。Guess what! I got a promotion at work.
- 你肯定不信。猜猜看我在商店里找到了什么！You won't believe it. Guess what I found at the store!
- 你猜怎么着，我又迟到了。Nǐ cāi zěnme zháo, wǒ yòu chídào le.Guess what, I am late again.
- 你猜怎么着，这件衣服很便宜。Nǐ cāi zěnme zháo, zhè jiàn yīfu hěn piányi.Guess what, this piece of clothing is very cheap.
- 你猜怎么着，他没来参加派对。Nǐ cāi zěnme zháo, tā méi lái cānjiā pàiduì.Guess what, he didn't come to the party.
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting about their day.
- 佳怡 Jiayi佳怡：你猜怎么着，我拿到奖学金了！Nǐ cāi zěnmezhāo, wǒ nádào jiǎngxuéjīn le!Guess what, I got the scholarship!
- 伟 Wei伟：真的吗？太棒了！Zhēn de ma? Tài bàng le!Really? That's great!
- 佳怡 Jiayi佳怡：是的，我太开心了。Shì de, wǒ tài kāixīn le.Yes, I'm so happy.
- 伟 Wei伟：祝贺你，佳怡！Zhùhè nǐ, Jiāyí!Congratulations, Jiayi!
