How to say “What am I going to do with you” in Chinese?

Question

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?

Answer 1

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) I suspect it is highly influenced by the English expression.

Answer 2

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 has the meaning of 办法, so the idiom literally means "no way to take you", and is used just as your description.