<p>Yes, there is a Chinese expression that almost perfectly matches the English one:</p>

<p><strong>我该拿你怎么办</strong></p>

<p>And it is used endearingly, or critically by superiors on inferiors. This also seems to match the English usage.</p>

<p>I don't know about its etymology; from its close match against English and its contemporaneity (Ngram Viewer shows it <a href="https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=%E6%8B%BF%E4%BD%A0%E6%80%8E%E4%B9%88%E5%8A%9E&amp;year_start=1800&amp;year_end=2000&amp;corpus=23&amp;smoothing=3&amp;share=&amp;direct_url=t1%3B%2C%E6%8B%BF%20%E4%BD%A0%20%E6%80%8E%E4%B9%88%20%E5%8A%9E%3B%2Cc0" rel="nofollow">appeared in the 80's and began to spike from the 90's</a>) I suspect it is highly influenced by the English expression.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-21T13:47:15.353Z
I think 拿你没办法 is more *accurate*
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-21T14:01:07.857Z
@user3306356 这样太直白，没有体现当事人的迷茫，无助和绝望
http8086
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-21T12:14:26.237Z
2014-08-21T12:14:26.237Z
congusbongus
<p>Another even more idiomatic way to say this is:</p>
<ul>
<li>拿你没辙 ná nǐ méi zhé</li>
</ul>
<p>It's used basically just as 拿你怎么办, in an endearing, familiar way. The character <a href="https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E8%BE%99" rel="nofollow noreferrer">辙 zhé</a> has the meaning of 办法, so the idiom literally means &quot;no way to take you&quot;, and is used just as your description.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-09-12T00:22:17.250Z
2020-09-12T00:22:17.250Z
blackgreen
<p>There is an expression in English of sort of dramatic frustration, but in a very familiar, and almost endearing way.  So, for example, if your girlfriend/boyfriend does something that is kind of unique or strange, but it is very specific to them, you can exclaim, "What am I going to do with you!"</p>

<p>It is hard for me to explain this expression, and I cannot find a good webpage for it.  But I am looking for a way in Chinese to sort of "mock complain" about something slightly weird that someone you care about does.  Do you have any thoughts?</p>

<word-requests>
How to say "What am I going to do with you" in Chinese?
# How to say "What am I going to do with you" in Chinese?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-08-21)

There is an expression in English of sort of dramatic frustration, but in a very familiar, and almost endearing way. So, for example, if your girlfriend/boyfriend does something that is kind of unique or strange, but it is very specific to them, you can exclaim, "What am I going to do with you!"

It is hard for me to explain this expression, and I cannot find a good webpage for it. But I am looking for a way in Chinese to sort of "mock complain" about something slightly weird that someone you care about does. Do you have any thoughts?

**Tags:** word-requests


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-08-21. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

Yes, there is a Chinese expression that almost perfectly matches the English one:

**我该拿你怎么办**

And it is used endearingly, or critically by superiors on inferiors. This also seems to match the English usage.

I don't know about its etymology; from its close match against English and its contemporaneity (Ngram Viewer shows it [appeared in the 80's and began to spike from the 90's](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=%E6%8B%BF%E4%BD%A0%E6%80%8E%E4%B9%88%E5%8A%9E&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=23&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2C%E6%8B%BF%20%E4%BD%A0%20%E6%80%8E%E4%B9%88%20%E5%8A%9E%3B%2Cc0)) I suspect it is highly influenced by the English expression.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I think 拿你没办法 is more *accurate*  
> **username_3**: @user3306356 这样太直白，没有体现当事人的迷茫，无助和绝望  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2020-09-12. Score: 1

Another even more idiomatic way to say this is:

* 拿你没辙 ná nǐ méi zhé

It's used basically just as 拿你怎么办, in an endearing, familiar way. The character [辙 zhé](https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E8%BE%99) has the meaning of 办法, so the idiom literally means "no way to take you", and is used just as your description.


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