The Different Meanings Behind “What do you mean?” in Chinese (pt. 2)
Hope that you’ve already had a cup of coffee, because for Part 2 of The Different Meanings Behind “What do you mean?” in Chinese (click here for Part 1) we’re jumping right in!
Note: Make sure you’re familiar with this word before you continue!
意思 (yìsi): n. meaning
duì bù qǐ , wǒ hái bú tài míng bái nǐ de yì sī.
对 不 起， 我 还 不 太 明 白 你 的 意 思。
Sorry, I still don’t quite understand what you mean.
guò le hǎo chánɡ shí jiān , tā cái míng bái tā de yì sī.
过 了 好 长 时 间， 她 才 明 白 他 的 意 思。
It took a long time before she understood what he meant.
This is asking the other person to clarify the point they’re trying to make. Think of, “What are you trying to say?” or, “What are you referring to?” with all the possible interpretations in English; it could show aggression, but also confusion, depending on how it’s used. Either way, it’s really asking what the other person is “getting at.”
A: qǐng wèn , nǐ zhǐ de shì shén me yì si ?
A: 请 问， 你 指 的 是 什 么 意 思？
A: Excuse me, what do you mean?
B: wǒ de yì si shì wǒ dǎ suàn jì xù xué xí zhōng wén.
B: 我 的 意 思 是 我 打 算 继 续 学 习 中 文。
B: I mean I intend to continue learning Chinese.
A: gào sù wǒ , nǐ zuì hòu nà jù huà shì shén me yì si？
A: 告 诉 我， 你 最 后 那 句 话 是 什 么 意 思？
A: Tell me, what does your last sentence mean?
B: wǒ de yì si shì, wǒ bìng bú rèn tóng nǐ zhī qián shuō de nà gè guān diǎn .
B: 我 的 意 思 是，我 并 不 认 同 你 之 前 说 的 那 个 观 点。
B: I mean I don’t agree with that point of view you said earlier.
Confused? This literally means something like, “How many meanings do you have?” but this strange-looking expression can quickly turn ugly or uncomfortable.
However, just like other serious expressions, “你几个意思？(nǐ jǐ ge yìsi?)” can be used to lighten the situation when used jokingly with friends! A crude way to translate this might be, “What the [insert curse-word-of-your-choice here] do you mean?!”
A: nà nǐ kuài huí qù ba ， běn lái yě méi dǎ suàn jiào nǐ .
A：那 你 快 回 去 吧， 本 来 也 没 打 算 叫 你。
A: Then you go back quickly, I didn’t intend to call you.
B: nǐ jǐ gè yì si?
B：你 几 个 意 思？
B: What do you mean?
A: nǐ de xié zi yòu zāng le hā hā hā .
A：你 的 鞋 子 又 脏 了 哈 哈 哈。
A: Your shoes are dirty again hahaha.
B: nǐ jǐ gè yì sī ā ?
B：你 几 个 意 思 啊？
B: What do you mean?
Like in English, ending your question by trailing off without finishing might cause the other person to wait for you to say something else before realizing you’re asking them to finish the sentence for you. An equivalent in English is, “So what you mean is….?”, but you shouldn’t make a habit out of asking a question like this in Chinese. Why?
Well, if you remember our friends “吗(ma)”, “有没有(yǒuméiyǒu)”, and “不(bù)” you’ll very quickly remember that questions are formed by grammar structures and question markers, which means asking a question with a “….?” will be confusing for most listeners.
A：wǒ jué de wǒ men kě yǐ cháng shì yí xià .
A： 我 觉 得 我 们 可 以 尝 试 一 下。
A: I think we can try it.
B：nǐ de yì si shì ?
B：你 的 意 思 是？
B: What do you mean?
A: wǒ men yì qǐ qù pān yán ba .
A: 我 们 一 起 去 攀 岩 吧。
A: Let’s go rock climbing together.
Got all that? Quiz time! (Leave answers and comments below)
Which of the expressions you learned today is NOT appropriate to say to your boss?
A. 你的意思是…？
B. 你几个意思？
C. 你指的是什么意思？
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