什麼

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See also: 什麽, 甚麼, 甚麽, and 什么

Chinese

tenth (used in fractions) dimi.
trad. (什麼/甚麼/什麽/甚麽) 什/甚 麼/麽
simp. (什么) 什 么
alternative forms
 
拾沒／拾没 obsolete
是物 obsolete
是勿 obsolete
是沒／是没 obsolete
甚物 obsolete
拾沒／拾没 obsolete
是物 obsolete
是勿 obsolete
是沒／是没 obsolete
甚物 obsolete
甚沒／甚没 obsolete
甚摩 obsolete
甚謨／甚谟 obsolete
什摩 obsolete

Etymology

Corruption of medieval 是物 (MC dzyeX mjut, “why”) (Yuan et al., 1996: 318–324) or 什物 (MC dzyip mjut, “miscellaneous items”) (Norman, 1988; Zhang, 1982), perhaps influenced by 何物 (OC *ɡaːl mɯd, “what”).

Pronunciation

Note: Many other variant pronunciations exist.
Note:
  • sim6 moh4 - Chaozhou, Shantou;
  • se6 moh4 - Jieyang.

Pronoun

什麼

  1. (interrogative) what
    這是什麼？／这是什么？  ―  Zhè shì shénme?  ―  What is this?
    你平時喜歡做什麼？ [MSC, trad.]
    你平时喜欢做什么？ [MSC, simp.]
    Nǐ píngshí xǐhuān zuò shénme?
    What do you like doing in your spare time?
    我不知道他是什麼人。 [MSC, trad.]
    我不知道他是什么人。 [MSC, simp.]
    Wǒ bù zhīdào tā shì shénme rén.
    I don't know what kind of person he is.
  2. something
    你想吃點什麼嗎？ [MSC, trad.]
    你想吃点什么吗？ [MSC, simp.]
    Nǐ xiǎng chī diǎn shénme ma?
    Would you like something to eat?
  3. anything; whatever
    我什麼都不知道。 [MSC, trad.]
    我什么都不知道。 [MSC, simp.]
    Wǒ shénme dōu bù zhīdào.
    I don't know anything
    我什麼也不怕。／我什么也不怕。  ―  Wǒ shénme yě bù pà.  ―  I'm not afraid of anything.
    他可以想做什麼就做什麼。 [MSC, trad.]
    他可以想做什么就做什么。 [MSC, simp.]
    Tā kěyǐ xiǎng zuò shénme jiù zuò shénme.
    He can do whatever he wants.
  4. (used to express surprise or anger) what
    幹的是什麼事兒！ [MSC, trad.]
    干的是什么事儿！ [MSC, simp.]
    Gàn de shì shénme shìr!
    What a thing to do!
  5. (used before an enumeration) thing like; such as; and so on; and what not
  6. (used to express disapproval, disagreement)

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 什麼 (“what”)
Variety Location Words
Classical Chinese 何
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 什麼
Mandarin Beijing 什麼, 嗎兒
Taiwan 什麼
Tianjin 嗎
Chengde 什麼
Tangshan 啥
Cangzhou 什麼, 嗎
Baoding 什麼
Shijiazhuang 啥
Chifeng 啥
Hulunbuir (Hailar) 什麼, 啥
Heihe 什麼, 啥
Qiqihar 什麼, 啥
Harbin 什麼, 啥
Jiamusi 什麼, 啥
Baicheng 啥
Changchun 啥
Tonghua 啥
Shenyang 什麼, 啥
Dandong 什麼, 啥
Jinzhou 什麼, 啥
Dalian 什麼
Yantai 什麼
Yantai (Muping) 麼, 麼個
Qingdao 什麼
Lijin 啥, 啥稿兒
Weifang (Weicheng) 啥, 什麼
Weifang (Fangzi) 什麼
Weifang (Hanting) 什麼
Changyi 什麼
Gaomi 什麼
Zhucheng 什麼
Anqiu 什麼
Changle 啥, 什麼
Linqu 什麼
Qingzhou 啥, 什麼嘎
Shouguang 啥嘎
Rizhao 什麼
Wulian 什麼
Jinan 麼兒, 麼, 什麼, 麼個
Jining 什麼
Luoyang 啥
Wanrong 色
Shangqiu 啥
Yuanyang 什麼
Zhengzhou 啥
Lingbao 啥兒
Xinyang 啥
Baihe 啥
Hanzhong 啥子
Xi'an 什麼, 啥
Baoji 啥, 咋麼
Yinchuan 什麼, 啥
Tianshui 啥
Lanzhou 什麼, 啥
Dunhuang 啥
Xining 啥
Hami 什麼, 啥
Ürümqi 啥
Wuhan 什麼, 麼事
Yichang 什麼兒
Xiangyang 什麼, 啥子
Tianmen 什麼, 什麼的
Hong'an 什麼, 麼事, 麼東西
Chengdu 啥子
Nanchong 啥, 啥子
Dazhou 啥子
Hanyuan 啥, 啥子
Xichang 啥子
Zigong 啥子
Chongqing 啥子
Lhasa 啥子
Guiyang 哪樣
Zunyi 啷個, 啥子
Bijie 哪樣, 啷子
Liping 甚子
Zhaotong 什麼, 啥子
Dali 咋個
Kunming 什麼, 哪樣
Mengzi 哪樣
Guilin 什麼
Guilin (Lingui) 什麼
Guanyang 什麼
Liuzhou 什麼
Liuzhou (Luorong) 什麼
Jishou 什麼
Changde 麼得
Xiangtan (Jiangnan Industries Group koine) 麼子
Anqing 什麼, 麼東西
Xuzhou 什麼, 啥, 啥子
Fuyang 什麼, 啥
Wuhu 什麼
Yangzhou 什麼
Lianyungang 什麼
Lianshui 什麼
Nanjing 什麼
Hefei 什麼, 哄, 哄個
Nantong 甚呢
Malaysia 什麼
Singapore 什麼
Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan) 啥
Dagudi (Maliba) 什麼
Reshuitang (Longling) 什麼
Mae Salong (Lancang) 哪樣, 什麼
Mae Sai (Tengchong) 什麼
Cantonese Guangzhou 乜嘢, 咩嘢, 乜, 咩
Hong Kong 乜嘢, 咩嘢, 乜, 咩
Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou) 咩嘢
Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou) 乜嘢
Hong Kong (Ting Kok) 咩嘢
Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau) 咩嘢
Macau 乜嘢
Guangzhou (Panyu) 乜嘢
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) 乜嘢
Guangzhou (Conghua) 乜嘢
Guangzhou (Zengcheng) 乜嘢
Foshan 乜嘢
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) 乜嘢
Foshan (Shunde) 乜嘢
Foshan (Sanshui) 乜嘢
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) 乜嘢
Zhongshan (Shiqi) 乜嘢
Zhuhai (Qianshan) 乜嘢
Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka) 乜
Zhuhai (Doumen) 乜
Jiangmen (Baisha) 乜嘢
Jiangmen (Xinhui) 乜
Taishan 乜, 乜嘢
Taishan (Guanghai) 乜, 乜嘎
Kaiping (Chikan) 乜, 乜啊, 乜嘢
Enping (Niujiang) 乜嘢
Heshan (Yayao) 乜嘢
Dongguan 乜嘢, 乜
Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an) 乜嘢
Shenzhen (Dapeng) 乜嘢, 乜
Yangjiang 乜, 乜嘢
Wuzhou 乜嘢
Hepu (Lianzhou) 物底
Guiping 乜嘢
Mengshan (Xihe) 什麼
Beiliu (Tangliao) 乜嘢
Baise 乜嘢
Qinzhou 乜嘢, 乜
Qinzhou (Xiniujiao) 乜底
Beihai 乜嘢
Beihai (Nankang) 乜嘢
Beihai (Yingpan) 乜底
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô) 乜嘢
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà) 乜嘢
Hengzhou 哪門
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng) 乜嘢
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 乜嘢, 咩
Penang (Guangfu) 乜嘢, 咩
Singapore (Guangfu) 乜嘢, 咩, 乜
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu) 乜嘢
Móng Cái 乜嘢
Yangon (Taishan) 乜
Gan Nanchang 什哩
Lichuan 什仔
Pingxiang 咋個
Hakka Meixian 麼個
Xingning 麼個
Dabu (Gaobei) 麼個
Fengshun (Tangkeng) 麼個
Fengshun (Fengliang) 麼個
Fengshun (Pantian) 麼個
Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua) 乜嘢
Huiyang 麼個
Huidong (Daling) 麼個
Dongguan (Qingxi) 麼個
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) 麼個
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) 乜嘢
Wuhua (Huacheng) 麼個
Wengyuan 麼個
Nanxiong (Zhuji) 什麼
Shaoguan (Qujiang) 麼個
Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) 麼個
Liannan 麼個
Conghua (Lütian) 麼個
Jiexi 麼個
Luhe 麼個
Changting 麼個, 什西哩, 什西
Wuping 麼個, 麼事
Wuping (Pingyu) 麼個
Liancheng 麼個, 什麼
Ninghua 什麼
Yudu 子個
Ruijin 咩, 唔幾
Shicheng 什麼
Shangyou (Shexi) 哪個, 哪項, 個哪, 哪
Tonggu (Sandu) 麼個
Ganzhou (Panlong) 什麼
Dayu 什麼
Taoyuan 麼個
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 麼個
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 麼個
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 麼個
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 麼個
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 麼個
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 麼個
Nantou (Guoxing; Lufeng) 麼個
Hong Kong 麼個
Mengshan (Xihe) 麼個
Luchuan 麼個
Senai (Huiyang) 麼個
Kuching (Hepo) 麼個
Singkawang 麼個
Pontianak (Meixian) 麼個
Singapore (Dabu) 麼個
Bangkok (Meixian) 麼個
Bangkok (Fengshun) 麼個
Huizhou Jixi 麼仂
Shexian 麼二
Jin Taiyuan 甚
Yangyuan 什麼, 啥, 咋, 甚
Datong 啥
Xinzhou 甚
Lishi 甚
Linfen 啥
Changzhi 什麼
Linhe 什麼, 甚
Jining 甚
Hohhot 甚
Erenhot 什麼, 甚
Pingshan 什麼兒
Zhangjiakou 什麼
Handan 什麼, 啥
Linzhou 啥
Suide 什麼, 甚
Jiuxing Yumin Lanxi 啥哩
Northern Min Jian'ou 孰事, 孰麼, 孰麼事
Jian'ou (Dikou) 橘二, 橘二事
Songxi 什麼事
Jianyang 孰事
Wuyishan 什麼事
Pucheng (Shibei) 孰麼, 孰, 孰麼事, 孰事, 孰麼契, 孰契
Eastern Min Fuzhou 什乇, 什名, 什乇名, 面乇名
Changle 什乇
Fuqing 什乇, 乜乇
Pingtan 什乇
Yongtai 哪乇
Gutian 乇, 什乇
Fu'an 乜乇
Ningde 哪乇
Shouning 呢乇
Zhouning 乜乇
Fuding 哪乇
Matsu 什乇
Singapore (Fuqing) 什乇
Southern Min Xiamen 什物, 啥物, 啥貨
Xiamen (Tong'an) 什物
Quanzhou 啥物, 乜
Jinjiang 啥物
Nan'an 什物
Shishi 啥物
Hui'an 什物
Anxi 啥物
Yongchun 啥物
Dehua 啥物
Zhangzhou 哪貨仔, 哪貨, 哪仔, 哪物仔, 哪物, 什物, 啥物, 啥貨, 啥物仔, 啥貨仔
Zhangzhou (Longhai) 啥物, 啥
Zhangzhou (Changtai) 啥
Hua'an 什物
Nanjing 哪物
Pinghe 啥物
Zhangpu 啥貨
Yunxiao 什物仔
Zhao'an 什物
Dongshan 什物
Taipei 啥貨, 啥物, 啥
Taipei (Wanhua) 啥物
New Taipei (Sanxia) 啥
Kaohsiung 啥, 啥貨, 啥物
Kaohsiung (Cijin) 啥物, 啥
Kaohsiung (Hongmaogang, Siaogang) 啥物, 啥
Kaohsiung (Dalinpu, Siaogang) 啥物, 啥
Yilan 啥貨, 啥物貨
Changhua (Lukang) 啥物, 啥貨
Taichung 啥, 啥貨
Taichung (Wuqi) 啥物
Tainan 啥物, 啥貨
Taitung 啥物
Hsinchu 啥, 啥物
Kinmen 啥貨, 啥物, 什物, 物代
Penghu (Magong) 啥貨, 物代
Penang (Hokkien) 何物
Singapore (Hokkien) 什物
Manila (Hokkien) 啥物
Medan (Hokkien) 何物
Longyan 什物
Datian 啥貨, 什物
Chaozhou 乜個, 乜
Shantou 乜個, 乜
Shantou (Chenghai) 乜個
Shantou (Chaoyang) 乜個
Jieyang 乜個, 乜, 是乜
Haifeng 乜個, 乜
Bangkok (Teochew) 乜個
Phnom Penh (Teochew) 乜個
Ho Chi Minh City (Teochew) 乜個
Johor Bahru (Teochew) 乜個
Singapore (Teochew) 乜個, 什乜, 底個
Batam (Teochew) 乜個, 什乜, 底個
Pontianak (Teochew) 乜個
Leizhou 乜
Wenchang 乜
Haikou 乜, 個乜
Qionghai 乜
Singapore (Hainanese) 乜
Central Min Yong'an 啥貨
Sanyuan 啥貨
Shaxian 啥貨
Zhongshan Min Sanxiang 乜儗
Southern Pinghua Nanning (Tingzi) 門, 哪門
Binyang (Xinqiao) 哪門
Waxiang Guzhang (Gaofeng) 什個
Luxi (Lijiatian) 什家
Wu Shanghai 啥, 啥個, 啥物事
Shanghai (Chongming) 何
Suzhou 啥, 啥個, 啥物事
Wuxi 啥, 啥個, 啥物事, 啥物
Danyang 點高
Hangzhou 啥
Ningbo 啥, 啥西
Wenzhou 何乜
Jinhua 待, 淡
Xiang Changsha 麼子
Loudi 麼子
Shuangfeng 麼子
Quanzhou 什麼
Guanyang (Wenshi) 啥

Derived terms

Descendants

  • ⇒ Translingual: Yiminaspis shenme

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
什 麼
いん
Hyōgaiji 		も
Hyōgaiji
irregular
Alternative spelling
恁麼

From spoken Middle Chinese 恁麼／恁么 (nyimX muɑ, “what?”, archaic). The spelling shifted to include the Chinese synonym 什麼／什么 (modern Mandarin reading of shénme), while keeping the inmo reading for 恁麼／恁么, instead of the expected *shūma reading for 什麼.

Imported into Japanese by Zen monks who had studied in China. Generally restricted to use by Zen practitioners.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

什(いん)麼(も) • (inmo) 

  1. (rare) what
    天(てん)地(ち)と我(われ)と什(いん)麼(も)の交(こう)渉(しょう)かある。
    Tenchi to ware to inmo no kōshō ka aru.
    What is the relation between the universe and me?
Usage notes

Generally followed by the possessive particle の (no) and used as an adnominal, with a meaning of what kind of.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
什 麼
どんな
Hyōgaiji Hyōgaiji
jukujikun

Orthographic borrowing from Mandarin 什麼／什么 (“what”).

Definitions

For pronunciation and definitions of 什麼 – see the following entry.
【どんな】
how?; like what?; what kind of...?
which one?
Alternative spellings
何様な, 何様, 甚麼
(This term, 什麼, is an alternative spelling (literary, obsolete) of the above term.)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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