<p>Because 医生 is <strong>what you are</strong>, not <strong>what you do</strong>.</p>

<p>You can respond with 我教英语, 我卖面包, 我开出租车, if you want.</p>

<p>In most cases, 我是XX sounds more natural if your job has a simple and direct name, such as 医生, 教师, 司机, 厨师, etc. The other pattern is more likely to be used when you want to specifically describe what you do.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T09:23:45.907Z
2017-11-06T09:23:45.907Z
Jason Swift
<p>做 is like the English word 'do'. So, 'do' could stand for any verb in English. </p>

<p>I think this concept works for Chinese as well. </p>

<p>For example, </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>A: 你在做什么？ // what are you doing? </p>
  
  <p>B: 我在玩游戏。 // I am playing a game.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>As you can see, when you response to 做， you should answer what you are actually doing. It could be any verb. </p>

<p>In your case,  </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>A: 你做什么工作？ // what do you do? </p>
  
  <p>B: 我是医生。 // I am a doctor.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This is the same as you response in English. </p>

<p>If you really want to use 做 in your answer, you could say 我是做医生的. But it's not as concise as 我是医生。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T17:22:09.033Z
That’s also still using 是 as the main verb—做 is part of an embedded clause, not part of the main clause. To maintain 做 in the main clause, you’d have to say something like 我做医生的工作 (except that sounds like you’re doing the doctor’s work instead of him doing it himself).
Janus Bahs Jacquet
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T23:32:47.180Z
@JanusBahsJacquet, 我做医生的工作 sounds like you are doing a doctor's work but you might not be a real doctor. Well, 我是做医生的 means your occupation is being a doctor. ...的 is the phrase that could be used to denote an occupation, for example, 做医生的， 坐办公室的， 当老师的 ... So these sentences would be valid: 我是当老师的， 我是坐办公室的， 我是做医生的。
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T23:40:17.093Z
Yes, they’re perfectly valid, and they mean the right thing. But they’re not repeating the 做 from the question, which is what Becky is asking about. From the point of view of the verb in the question (做) being replaced in the answer by a different verb (是), there is no difference between 我是医生 and 我是做医生的: both use 是 as the verb, not 做.
Janus Bahs Jacquet
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T23:45:07.783Z
@JanusBahsJacquet, you are right with  that point. I hope OP wouldn't be confused by the comments here.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T08:52:42.543Z
2017-11-06T08:52:42.543Z
dan
<p>Yes, if you make things, but even then it's not the job name but the name of the thing.  For example: 我做游戏. (I make games)  我做最好吃的蛋糕 (I make the best cakes)。</p>

<p>You can also use it with a superlative and the name of the job, although it's a little awkward:
我做世界上最好的老师。我做一个很了不起的运动员。
(I am / serve as the world's best teacher)
(I am / serve as a great athlete)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T17:40:05.227Z
2017-11-06T17:40:05.227Z
Jeremy Schutte
<p>你做什么工作 doesn't sound smooth in Chinese. The correct expression and the one native speakers usually say is 你<strong>做</strong>什么工作<strong>的</strong>, which can be furtherly shortened into 你<strong>做</strong>什么<strong>的</strong>. In this case, you can respond it with 我做...的.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Q: 你<strong>做</strong>什么工作<strong>的</strong>？ // what job do you do?</p>
  
  <p>A: 我<strong>做</strong>医生<strong>的</strong>。 // I am a doctor.</p>
  
  <p>Q: 你<strong>做</strong>什么<strong>的</strong>？ // what job do you do?</p>
  
  <p>A: 我<strong>教</strong>英语<strong>的</strong>。 // I teach English.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Answering these kind of questions, you just need to pair the verb with 的 placed at the end of the sentence. </p>

<p>Here are some examples:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我<strong>弹</strong>钢琴<strong>的</strong>。 // I play piano.</p>
  
  <p>我<strong>做</strong>游戏<strong>的</strong>。 // I make game.</p>
  
  <p>我<strong>开发</strong>软件<strong>的</strong>。 // I develop software.</p>
  
  <p>我<strong>踢</strong>足球<strong>的</strong>。 // I play soccer.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-07T11:17:06.713Z
2017-11-07T11:41:06.077Z
2017-11-07T11:41:06.077Z
Oliver.H
<p>For many questions in Chinese, it's best to respond by repeating the verb.  Here's a few I just made up:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Q: 你<strong>是</strong>哪儿国人？ A: 我<strong>是</strong>中国人。</p>
<p>Q: 刘老师<strong>找</strong>什么？ A: 刘老师<strong>找</strong>她的老公。<br>
Q: 她<strong>有</strong>老公吗？ A: 对，她<strong>有</strong>老公。</p>
<p>Q: 小王<strong>怕</strong>什么？ A: 小王<strong>怕</strong>狗。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And I can think of many others (你<strong>想吃</strong>什么？ 你在<strong>看</strong>什么？你在<strong>学</strong>什么？你的牙<strong>疼</strong>吗?).  But this one breaks the rules:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Q: 你<strong>做</strong>什么工作？<br>
A: 我<strong>是</strong>医生</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Or we might respond 我<strong>是</strong>老师 or 我<strong>是</strong>校长, or 我<strong>是</strong>职员, etc., depending on our job.</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: Is there a way to respond to 你做什么工作？ starting with 我做...？</p>
<p>Perhaps there's something inherently wrong with answering the question starting with 我做....</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T12:19:28.893Z
做 is just like English word “do”. You cannot answer "what does he do" by "he does a teacher".
Harry Summer
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T13:04:45.483Z
see again https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/12290/differences-%e5%b9%b2-%e5%8a%9e-%e5%81%9a-%e6%90%9e-%e5%bc%84 esp. answer #2
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-06T17:22:57.567Z
Is there a way? Yes. Is there a normal, natural-sounding way? Probably not.
Janus Bahs Jacquet
<verbs>
Is there a way to respond to 你做什么工作？starting with 我做...？
# Is there a way to respond to 你做什么工作？starting with 我做...？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-06)

For many questions in Chinese, it's best to respond by repeating the verb. Here's a few I just made up:

> Q: 你**是**哪儿国人？ A: 我**是**中国人。
>
> Q: 刘老师**找**什么？ A: 刘老师**找**她的老公。  
> Q: 她**有**老公吗？ A: 对，她**有**老公。
>
> Q: 小王**怕**什么？ A: 小王**怕**狗。

And I can think of many others (你**想吃**什么？ 你在**看**什么？你在**学**什么？你的牙**疼**吗?). But this one breaks the rules:

> Q: 你**做**什么工作？  
> A: 我**是**医生

Or we might respond 我**是**老师 or 我**是**校长, or 我**是**职员, etc., depending on our job.

**Question**: Is there a way to respond to 你做什么工作？ starting with 我做...？

Perhaps there's something inherently wrong with answering the question starting with 我做....

**Tags:** verbs
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 做 is just like English word “do”. You cannot answer "what does he do" by "he does a teacher".  
> **username_2**: see again https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/12290/differences-%e5%b9%b2-%e5%8a%9e-%e5%81%9a-%e6%90%9e-%e5%bc%84 esp. answer #2  
> **username_3**: Is there a way? Yes. Is there a normal, natural-sounding way? Probably not.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-11-06. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

Because 医生 is **what you are**, not **what you do**.

You can respond with 我教英语, 我卖面包, 我开出租车, if you want.

In most cases, 我是XX sounds more natural if your job has a simple and direct name, such as 医生, 教师, 司机, 厨师, etc. The other pattern is more likely to be used when you want to specifically describe what you do.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2017-11-06. Score: 3

做 is like the English word 'do'. So, 'do' could stand for any verb in English.

I think this concept works for Chinese as well.

For example,

> A: 你在做什么？ // what are you doing?
>
> B: 我在玩游戏。 // I am playing a game.

As you can see, when you response to 做， you should answer what you are actually doing. It could be any verb.

In your case,

> A: 你做什么工作？ // what do you do?
>
> B: 我是医生。 // I am a doctor.

This is the same as you response in English.

If you really want to use 做 in your answer, you could say 我是做医生的. But it's not as concise as 我是医生。

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: That’s also still using 是 as the main verb—做 is part of an embedded clause, not part of the main clause. To maintain 做 in the main clause, you’d have to say something like 我做医生的工作 (except that sounds like you’re doing the doctor’s work instead of him doing it himself).  
> **username_5**: @JanusBahsJacquet, 我做医生的工作 sounds like you are doing a doctor's work but you might not be a real doctor. Well, 我是做医生的 means your occupation is being a doctor. ...的 is the phrase that could be used to denote an occupation, for example, 做医生的， 坐办公室的， 当老师的 ... So these sentences would be valid: 我是当老师的， 我是坐办公室的， 我是做医生的。  
> **username_3**: Yes, they’re perfectly valid, and they mean the right thing. But they’re not repeating the 做 from the question, which is what Becky is asking about. From the point of view of the verb in the question (做) being replaced in the answer by a different verb (是), there is no difference between 我是医生 and 我是做医生的: both use 是 as the verb, not 做.  
> **username_5**: @JanusBahsJacquet, you are right with  that point. I hope OP wouldn't be confused by the comments here.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2017-11-06. Score: 2

Yes, if you make things, but even then it's not the job name but the name of the thing. For example: 我做游戏. (I make games) 我做最好吃的蛋糕 (I make the best cakes)。

You can also use it with a superlative and the name of the job, although it's a little awkward:
我做世界上最好的老师。我做一个很了不起的运动员。
(I am / serve as the world's best teacher)
(I am / serve as a great athlete)


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2017-11-07. Score: 2

你做什么工作 doesn't sound smooth in Chinese. The correct expression and the one native speakers usually say is 你**做**什么工作**的**, which can be furtherly shortened into 你**做**什么**的**. In this case, you can respond it with 我做...的.

> Q: 你**做**什么工作**的**？ // what job do you do?
>
> A: 我**做**医生**的**。 // I am a doctor.
>
> Q: 你**做**什么**的**？ // what job do you do?
>
> A: 我**教**英语**的**。 // I teach English.

Answering these kind of questions, you just need to pair the verb with 的 placed at the end of the sentence.

Here are some examples:

> 我**弹**钢琴**的**。 // I play piano.
>
> 我**做**游戏**的**。 // I make game.
>
> 我**开发**软件**的**。 // I develop software.
>
> 我**踢**足球**的**。 // I play soccer.


---

