什麼
ChineseEdit
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 |
EtymologyEdit
Corruption of medieval 是物 (MC d͡ʑiᴇX mɨut̚, “why”) (Yuan et al., 1996: 318–324) or 什物 (MC d͡ʑiɪp̚ mɨut̚, “miscellaneous items”) (Norman, 1988; Zhang, 1982).
PronunciationEdit
PronounEdit
什麼
- (interrogative) what
- something
- anything; whatever
- (used to express surprise or anger) what
- (used before an enumeration) thing like; such as; and so on; and what not
- (used to express disapproval, disagreement)
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
- ⇒ Translingual: Yiminaspis shenme
JapaneseEdit
Etymology 1Edit
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, literally “think + something tiny and insignificant”).[1] 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.[1] Generally restricted to use by Zen practitioners.[2]
Glyph originEdit
Orthographic borrowing from Mandarin 什麼/什么 (“what”). See the above Etymology section.
PronunciationEdit
PronounEdit
Usage notesEdit
Generally followed by the possessive particle の (no) and used as an adnominal, with a meaning of what kind of.
Etymology 2Edit
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
什 | 麼 |
どんな | |
Hyōgaiji | Hyōgaiji |
jukujikun |
Glyph originEdit
Orthographic borrowing from Mandarin 什麼/什么 (“what”).
DefinitionsEdit
For pronunciation and definitions of 什麼 – see the following entry. | ||
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(This term, 什麼, is an alternative spelling (literary, obsolete) of the above term.) |