你在这里做什么？
nǐ zài zhèlǐ zuò shénme?
The English phrase "what are you doing here?" is translated into Chinese as 你在这里做什么？ (nǐ zài zhèlǐ zuò shénme?)
This phrase is used to ask someone about their purpose or reason for being in a particular place. While 你在这里做什么？ asks specifically about a person's activity, the related expression 你怎么在这里？ is more commonly used to express surprise at seeing someone in an unexpected place. Additionally, the colloquial expression 你怎么到这里来了？ translates to "How did you come here?" and is also used to ask about someone's unexpected presence.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 你在这里做什么？ is built literally from 你 (you), 在 (at), 这里 (here), 做 (do) and 什么 (what).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To make the question more respectful when addressing an elder or a superior, you can replace 你 with 您 to say 您在这里做什么？ For an even more polite version, you can add 请问 to the beginning of the sentence: 请问你在这里是为了什么？ In informal situations, you can use 你在这里干嘛呢？
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, you say 你喺度做乜嘢？ to mean "What are you doing here?"
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ zài zhèlǐ zuò shénme?
Did you know?
- If you use the phrase 你在这里做什么？ with an intense tone, it can sound like a blunt interrogation rather than a friendly inquiry. In Chinese culture, questioning someone's purpose too directly can be perceived as challenging their right to be in that space.
- In Northern China, particularly around Beijing, you might hear people replace the standard 什么 (shénme) with a more nasal-sounding 啥 (shá). Using 你在这里干啥呢？ makes you sound instantly more like a local from the north.
- While the phrase asks 'what' you are doing, a common culturally appropriate reply might not actually answer the question. If someone asks why you are there, a common polite response is to simply state your destination or your relationship to the location.
Examples in context
- Lily：你在这里做什么？
John：我来找你聊天。Lily: What are you doing here?
John: I came to chat with you. - 张华：你在这里干嘛呢？
王明：今天去商场买东西。Zhang Hua: What are you doing here?
Wang Ming: I'm going to the mall to buy something. - 你在这里做什么？Nǐ zài zhèlǐ zuò shénme?What are you doing here?
Example conversation
浩然 sees 雨婷 at a park unexpectedly.
- 浩然 Haoran雨婷，你在这里做什么？Yǔtíng, nǐ zài zhèlǐ zuò shénme?Yuting, what are you doing here?
- 雨婷 Yuting我只是来散步。Wǒ zhǐshì lái sànbù.I am just here for a walk.
- 浩然 Haoran原来如此。Yuánlái rúcǐ.I see.
- 雨婷 Yuting你呢？Nǐ ne?What about you?
