<p>Looks like classical Chinese.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.zdic.net/c/a/72/115314.htm" rel="noreferrer">zdic</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>◎ 多早晚 duōzǎowǎn</p>
<p>[when] 多咱,什么时候(“多咱”来于“多早晚”)</p>
<hr />
<p>多早晚</p>
<p>什麼時候。紅樓夢．第十四回：「我且問你，你們這夜書多早晚纔念呢？」或作「多早」、「多咱」、「多咱晚」、「多偺」、「多喒」。</p>
<p>甚晚、很晚。</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/1376106.htm" rel="noreferrer">百度百科</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>中文名</strong> 多早晚</p>
<p><strong>外文名</strong> Much sooner or later</p>
<p><strong>性质</strong> 词语</p>
<p><strong>来源</strong> 红楼梦</p>
<p>多早晚 duōzǎowǎn [when] 多咱，什么时候(“多咱”来于“多早晚”)</p>
<p>《红楼梦》第六四回：“黛玉道：‘可是你没的说了！好好的，我多早晚又伤心了？’”</p>
<p>茅盾《霜叶红似二月花》：“我早就想过，多早晚，我们村子里一人一股香，大家上县里去，一步一拜，打伙儿跪在王伯申大门前，求他高抬贵手。”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As the encyclopedia entry mentions 多咱 comes from 多早晚 and is in common usage in Northern China. You might be hard pressed to find usage of 多早晚 outside of 红楼梦 though.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-02T23:45:10.903Z
Very nice examples
Wang Zong'an
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-26T06:00:31.080Z
2016-01-26T06:00:31.080Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>Yes, in Mandarin there is this meaning "when" for "多早晚". But the saying "多早晚" is not common. You could possibly hear this in northern China. It's colloquial. It's not surprising that your Singapore friend never heard of it.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-26T05:36:07.327Z
2016-01-30T03:21:54.763Z
2016-01-30T03:21:54.763Z
Hunter
<p>Possibly comparable, 多早晚 is similar to "when (sooner of later)". </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-02T23:44:23.400Z
2016-02-02T23:44:23.400Z
Wang Zong'an
<p>我来自中国广州，在中国大陆没有人说这个词，只听过早晚，没有说多早晚的</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-01T03:37:27.600Z
@songyuanyao Nobody agree but you.
Hector He
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-26T06:29:03.343Z
2016-01-26T06:29:03.343Z
Hector He
<p>I'm from the northeast of China. At first, I'm surprised to learn that, "多早晚" means "when". Finally I find out that, in my home town, people usually pronounce it as "多咱"（duō zǎn）to mean "when" , and I've never known the exactly written characters of that phrase till I see this question.</p>

<p>And I should say, I have NEVER saw this phrase in formal written Chinese. So avoid the use of this phrase in written Chinese, and also in spoken Chinese because native Chinese listeners from other parts of China may not understand the phrase.</p>

<p>This phrase can be used in informal situations (seems only in the northeast? maybe ), for example:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>咱们啥时候走？</p></li>
<li><p>咱们duō zǎn走？</p></li>
</ul>

<p>The two sentences are both ok in daily spoken situations, which mean "when will we go".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-31T13:18:07.163Z
2016-01-31T13:23:50.230Z
2016-01-31T13:23:50.230Z
Shanker Wang
<p>In that site it says 多早晚 means "When". I asked a friend from Singapore, she told me that no one uses that, and it's a mistake. I would like to know if you use it, and in which context.</p>

<p><a href="https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-english-pinyin-dictionary.php?define=zao+wan" rel="nofollow">https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-english-pinyin-dictionary.php?define=zao+wan</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-26T02:00:14.173Z
.
早晚: sooner or later, some time in the future (see iciba and Q),with 多 in front it means "how much sooner or later" or "when", find 3 example sentences for the meaning "when" at jukuu: 1st and 2nd: 我多早晚儿说要去了?不过拿来预备着,"一会子我去了,又不知多早晚才来!"
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-26T05:10:54.420Z
Never heard of that either.
user58955
<usage><word>
Is 多早晚 wrong or right
# Is 多早晚 wrong or right

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-01-26)

In that site it says 多早晚 means "When". I asked a friend from Singapore, she told me that no one uses that, and it's a mistake. I would like to know if you use it, and in which context.

<https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-english-pinyin-dictionary.php?define=zao+wan>

**Tags:** usage, word

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: . 早晚: sooner or later, some time in the future (see iciba and Q),with 多 in front it means "how much sooner or later" or "when", find 3 example sentences for the meaning "when" at jukuu: 1st and 2nd: 我多早晚儿说要去了?不过拿来预备着,"一会子我去了,又不知多早晚才来!"  
> **username_2**: Never heard of that either.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_7 on 2016-01-31. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

I'm from the northeast of China. At first, I'm surprised to learn that, "多早晚" means "when". Finally I find out that, in my home town, people usually pronounce it as "多咱"（duō zǎn）to mean "when" , and I've never known the exactly written characters of that phrase till I see this question.

And I should say, I have NEVER saw this phrase in formal written Chinese. So avoid the use of this phrase in written Chinese, and also in spoken Chinese because native Chinese listeners from other parts of China may not understand the phrase.

This phrase can be used in informal situations (seems only in the northeast? maybe ), for example:

* 咱们啥时候走？
* 咱们duō zǎn走？

The two sentences are both ok in daily spoken situations, which mean "when will we go".


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-01-26. Score: 5

Looks like classical Chinese.

[zdic](http://www.zdic.net/c/a/72/115314.htm)

> ◎ 多早晚 duōzǎowǎn
>
> [when] 多咱,什么时候(“多咱”来于“多早晚”)
>
> ---
>
> 多早晚
>
> 什麼時候。紅樓夢．第十四回：「我且問你，你們這夜書多早晚纔念呢？」或作「多早」、「多咱」、「多咱晚」、「多偺」、「多喒」。
>
> 甚晚、很晚。

[百度百科](http://baike.baidu.com/view/1376106.htm)

> **中文名** 多早晚
>
> **外文名** Much sooner or later
>
> **性质** 词语
>
> **来源** 红楼梦
>
> 多早晚 duōzǎowǎn [when] 多咱，什么时候(“多咱”来于“多早晚”)
>
> 《红楼梦》第六四回：“黛玉道：‘可是你没的说了！好好的，我多早晚又伤心了？’”
>
> 茅盾《霜叶红似二月花》：“我早就想过，多早晚，我们村子里一人一股香，大家上县里去，一步一拜，打伙儿跪在王伯申大门前，求他高抬贵手。”

As the encyclopedia entry mentions 多咱 comes from 多早晚 and is in common usage in Northern China. You might be hard pressed to find usage of 多早晚 outside of 红楼梦 though.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Very nice examples  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2016-01-26. Score: 3

Yes, in Mandarin there is this meaning "when" for "多早晚". But the saying "多早晚" is not common. You could possibly hear this in northern China. It's colloquial. It's not surprising that your Singapore friend never heard of it.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-02-02. Score: -1

Possibly comparable, 多早晚 is similar to "when (sooner of later)".


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2016-01-26. Score: -2

我来自中国广州，在中国大陆没有人说这个词，只听过早晚，没有说多早晚的

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: @songyuanyao Nobody agree but you.  

---

