那又怎样？
nà yòu zěnyàng?
The English phrase "so what?" can be translated into Chinese as 那又怎样？ (nà yòu zěnyàng?)
那又怎样？ is used to show that a fact does not change the situation or is not important.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 那 (that), 又 (again/furthermore) and 怎样 (how/what manner).
Which one should you use?
While 那又怎样？ is a direct way to say "so what?", using 那又如何？ (nà yòu rúhé) is a slightly more formal or literary way to express the same sentiment.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
那又怎样？ is an informal way to say "So what?" in spoken language. This phrase is informal and can sound dismissive or confrontational depending on the tone.
How do you pronounce it?
nà yòu zěnyàng?
Did you know?
- While 那又怎样？ is a question, it is rarely answered. In Chinese culture, answering it literally is often seen as falling into a trap of further conflict.
- If a speaker wants to be even more dismissive, they may omit 那 and simply say 又怎样？, which strips away the reference to the other person's point entirely.
- The word 又 (yòu) in this phrase does not mean 'again' in a temporal sense, but acts as an intensive particle to emphasize the logical irrelevance of the previous point.
Examples in context
- 那又怎样？这并不重要。Nà yòu zěnyàng? Zhè bìng bù zhòngyào.So what? It's not important.
- 他没来，那又怎样？Tā méi lái, nà yòu zěnyàng?He didn't come, so what?
- 即使输了，那又怎样？Jíshǐ shūle, nà yòu zěnyàng?Even if we lose, so what?
Example conversation
Yuting and Junjie are discussing a mistake at work.
- 俊杰 Junjie你的报告里有个错别字。Nǐ de bàogào lǐ yǒu gè cuòbiézì.There is a typo in your report.
- 雨婷 Yuting那又怎样？Nà yòu zěnyàng?So what?
- 俊杰 Junjie老板可能会注意到它。Lǎobǎn kěnéng huì zhùyì dào tā.The boss might notice it.
- 雨婷 Yuting没关系，我可以马上改。Méiguānxì, wǒ kěyǐ mǎshàng gǎi.It's okay, I can fix it right away.
