干 · 弄
干: do (spoken) · 弄: do something to a thing so that it ends up a certain way
Structure
干 + 什么 ／名词 · 弄 + 结果（坏／丢／脏／清楚……）
What it means
干 (gàn) is the everyday spoken word for “do”. 弄 (nòng) is an all-purpose verb for doing something to a thing so that it ends up a certain way.
How it is built
干 + 什么／noun: 周末你想干什么？ (What do you want to do at the weekend?) 弄 + result: 弄坏 break, 弄丢 lose, 弄脏 make dirty, 弄清楚 get clear: 别把门弄坏了 (Don’t break the door).
When to use it
干 sounds casual, so in writing use 做; 干活儿 means to work, do a job. Use 弄 when the result matters more than the exact action, often in a 把 sentence: 我把手机弄丢了.
Watch out
弄 nearly always needs a result after it: ✗ 我把手机弄了。 ✓ 我把手机弄丢了。 And the same character 干 is read gān in 干净 and 干杯.
Examples
周末你想干什么？
What do you want to do at the weekend?
小心，别把门弄坏了。
Careful, don’t break the door.
这个问题你得弄清楚。
You need to get to the bottom of this.
对不起，我把你的书弄脏了。
Sorry, I’ve got your book dirty.
Learn this in HSK 4 · Lesson 25: 装修 (Fixing up the flat)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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