gānyù: 干预 - To Intervene, Interfere, Meddle

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• Summary: The Chinese word gānyù (干预) means to “intervene” or “interfere.” It describes the act of stepping into a situation to influence or change its outcome. While it can be neutral in formal contexts like government or medical intervention, it often carries a negative connotation of unwelcome meddling, especially in personal affairs. Understanding gānyù is key to navigating cultural norms around authority, family, and personal boundaries in China.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): gān yù
• Part of Speech: Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 6
• Concise Definition: To intervene in, interfere with, or meddle in a situation or someone's affairs.
• In a Nutshell: Imagine a situation is a flowing river. 干预 (gānyù) is the act of building a dam or diverting the water's course. It's a strong, deliberate action to alter the natural flow. This can be necessary and helpful (like a dam preventing a flood) or intrusive and damaging (like a dam cutting off water to a village). The word itself doesn't judge, but the context tells you whether this intervention is welcome or not.

• 干 (gān): While this character has many meanings like “dry,” its core meaning in this context is “to be concerned with” or “to get involved in.” Think of it as establishing a connection or involvement with something.
• 预 (yù): This character means “to participate” or “to take part in.” It implies active involvement.
• When combined, 干预 (gānyù) literally means “to be concerned with and participate in.” This creates the modern meaning of actively stepping into a matter to influence it, or “to intervene.”

干预 (gānyù) is a powerful term that reveals deep-seated cultural values in China regarding the relationship between the individual, the family, and the state. In Western cultures, particularly American culture, individualism and personal privacy are highly prized. Unsolicited intervention, especially from family or the government, is often viewed negatively as “meddling” or “overreach.” The default is to let individuals handle their own affairs unless help is explicitly requested. In Chinese culture, which is more collectivist, the lines are often blurrier.

• Family Context: It's common for parents to 干预 (gānyù) their adult children's major life decisions, such as career choice, marriage partners, and even how they raise their own children. This is often not seen as malicious meddling but as a fulfillment of parental duty (责任, zérèn) and an expression of care, rooted in the idea that the family is a single, interconnected unit. While younger generations are increasingly pushing back for more personal space, this form of familial 干预 is still prevalent.
• State Context: Similarly, government intervention (政府干预, zhèngfǔ gānyù) in the economy or social matters is often seen as a necessary tool for maintaining stability and guiding national development. While Western news might frame this as a lack of freedom, from a different perspective, it's seen as the government taking a responsible, paternalistic role to ensure collective well-being.

The key takeaway is that 干预 is not inherently good or bad; its value is judged by who is intervening, why they are intervening, and whether the intervention aligns with established social hierarchies and cultural expectations.

The connotation of 干预 shifts dramatically depending on the context.

• Formal & Neutral/Positive Contexts:
  • Politics & Economics: Used to describe official actions. 政府干预市场 (zhèngfǔ gānyù shìchǎng) - “The government intervenes in the market.” Here, it's a neutral, descriptive term.
  • Medicine & Psychology: Used in professional settings. 早期干预 (zǎoqī gānyù) means “early intervention” for a developmental or medical issue, which is highly positive. 心理干预 (xīnlǐ gānyù) is “psychological intervention.”
• Negative & Personal Contexts:
  • Personal Affairs: This is where the meaning becomes “meddling.” If someone is getting involved in your business uninvited, you might say: 请不要干预我的私事 (Qǐng bùyào gānyù wǒ de sīshì) - “Please don't interfere in my private affairs.”
  • International Relations: 干预别国内政 (gānyù biéguó nèizhèng) - “to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries” is a very serious and negative accusation in diplomacy.

• Example 1:
  • 政府决定干预外汇市场以稳定货币。
  • Pinyin: Zhèngfǔ juédìng gānyù wàihuì shìchǎng yǐ wěndìng huòbì.
  • English: The government decided to intervene in the foreign exchange market to stabilize the currency.
  • Analysis: This is a formal, neutral use of the term common in news and economics. It simply states an action taken by an authority.
• Example 2:
  • 我父母总是想干预我的感情生活。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ fùmǔ zǒngshì xiǎng gānyù wǒ de gǎnqíng shēnghuó.
  • English: My parents always want to interfere with my love life.
  • Analysis: Here, 干预 has a clear negative connotation of unwelcome meddling in personal matters.
• Example 3:
  • 医生说，对这个病来说，早期干预至关重要。
  • Pinyin: Yīshēng shuō, duì zhège bìng lái shuō, zǎoqī gānyù zhì guān zhòngyào.
  • English: The doctor said that for this illness, early intervention is crucial.
  • Analysis: This is a positive and professional use. The intervention is necessary and beneficial.
• Example 4:
  • 联合国被要求干预该地区的冲突。
  • Pinyin: Liánhéguó bèi yāoqiú gānyù gāi dìqū de chōngtū.
  • English: The United Nations was asked to intervene in the region's conflict.
  • Analysis: A formal, diplomatic usage. The intervention is requested, making the connotation neutral or potentially positive.
• Example 5:
  • 这是我们部门内部的事情，请你不要干预。
  • Pinyin: Zhè shì wǒmen bùmén nèibù de shìqíng, qǐng nǐ bùyào gānyù.
  • English: This is an internal matter for our department, please don't interfere.
  • Analysis: A direct, forceful way to tell someone to stay out of something. The connotation is clearly negative.
• Example 6:
  • 人类的活动不应该过度干预自然生态系统。
  • Pinyin: Rénlèi de huódòng bù yìnggāi guòdù gānyù zìrán shēngtài xìtǒng.
  • English: Human activities should not excessively interfere with natural ecosystems.
  • Analysis: Used in an environmental context, implying a negative impact.
• Example 7:
  • 如果没有朋友们的及时干预，他可能已经犯下大错了。
  • Pinyin: Rúguǒ méiyǒu péngyǒumen de jíshí gānyù, tā kěnéng yǐjīng fànxià dà cuòle.
  • English: If it weren't for his friends' timely intervention, he might have already made a huge mistake.
  • Analysis: In this social context, the intervention is seen as positive and helpful, preventing a bad outcome.
• Example 8:
  • 法官有权干预不当的法庭提问。
  • Pinyin: Fǎguān yǒu quán gānyù bùdàng de fǎtíng tíwèn.
  • English: The judge has the right to intervene in cases of improper courtroom questioning.
  • Analysis: A neutral, procedural use in a legal context. The intervention is part of the established rules.
• Example 9:
  • 公司管理层试图干预工会的选举。
  • Pinyin: Gōngsī guǎnlǐ céng shìtú gānyù gōnghuì de xuǎnjǔ.
  • English: The company's management tried to interfere with the union's election.
  • Analysis: This implies improper or illegal interference, giving it a strong negative connotation.
• Example 10:
  • 这种行政干预降低了市场的效率。
  • Pinyin: Zhè zhǒng xíngzhèng gānyù jiàngdīle shìchǎng de xiàolǜ.
  • English: This kind of administrative intervention has reduced market efficiency.
  • Analysis: A critical but formal use, often heard in discussions about policy and bureaucracy.

A common mistake for English speakers is to confuse 干预 (gānyù) with 帮助 (bāngzhù). They are not interchangeable.

• 干预 (gānyù) vs. 帮助 (bāngzhù - to help):
  • 帮助 (bāngzhù) is almost always positive and implies assistance that is wanted or needed. It's a supportive act.
    • Correct: 我需要你帮助我。(Wǒ xūyào nǐ bāngzhù wǒ.) - I need you to help me.
    • Incorrect: 我需要你干预我。(Wǒ xūyào nǐ gānyù wǒ.) - This sounds very strange, like “I need you to interfere with me.”
  • 干预 (gānyù) implies a forceful action to change a course of events, which may be uninvited and unwelcome.
    • Correct: 他干预了我的计划。(Tā gānyù le wǒ de jìhuà.) - He interfered with my plan.
    • Incorrect: 他帮助了我的计划。(Tā bāngzhù le wǒ de jìhuà.) - This means “He helped my plan,” which has a completely different, positive meaning.
• 干预 (gānyù) vs. 介入 (jièrù - to step in):
  • These are closer, but 介入 (jièrù) is often more neutral. It simply means “to enter a situation” or “to get involved.” 干预 (gānyù) carries a stronger sense of actively trying to *control or change the outcome*. Think of 介入 as stepping onto the stage, while 干预 is stepping onto the stage to take over as the director.

• 干涉 (gānshè) - To interfere, to meddle. A very close synonym to 干预, but it's almost exclusively negative. If 干预 can sometimes be neutral, 干涉 is the word you use when you definitely mean “unwelcome meddling.”
• 插手 (chāshǒu) - Literally “to insert a hand.” A very informal and negative colloquialism for meddling. “你别插手!” (Nǐ bié chāshǒu!) means “Stay out of it!”
• 介入 (jièrù) - To get involved, to step in. A more neutral synonym that describes the act of entering a situation, with less emphasis on controlling the outcome.
• 过问 (guòwèn) - To concern oneself with, to ask about. A milder term. It can mean showing appropriate concern (like a boss asking about a project) or being nosy (like a relative prying into your salary).
• 帮助 (bāngzhù) - To help, to assist. The positive counterpart to negative interference. Use this when the action is supportive and welcome.
• 不干涉主义 (bù gānshè zhǔyì) - Non-interventionism. The formal political principle of not interfering in the affairs of other states.
• 政府干预 (zhèngfǔ gānyù) - Government intervention. A common and important collocation in political and economic discussions.
• 司法干预 (sīfǎ gānyù) - Judicial intervention. The involvement of the court system to resolve an issue.