什麼

See also: 什麽, 甚麼, 甚麽, and 什么

Contents

ChineseEdit

		tenth (used in fractions)	dimi.
trad. (什麼/甚麼/什麽/甚麽)		什/甚	麼/麽
simp. (什么)		什	么
alt. 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

EtymologyEdit

Corruption of Medieval 是物 (MC d͡ʑiᴇ^X mɨut̚, “why”) (Yuan et al., 1996: 318–324).

PronunciationEdit

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shénme, shéme

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄣˊ ˙ㄇㄜ, ㄕㄜˊ ˙ㄇㄜ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sam⁶ mo¹
• Min Nan (POJ): sím-mih

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland and Taiwan)⁺
    • Pinyin: shénme
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄣˊ ˙ㄇㄜ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shern.mhe
    • IPA ^(key): /ʂən³⁵ mə³/
    • 
      
  • (Standard Chinese, common variant)⁺
    • Pinyin: shéme
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄜˊ ˙ㄇㄜ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sher.mhe
    • IPA ^(key): /ʂɤ³⁵ mə³/

Note: Many other variant pronunciations exist, notably shě(n)me.

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: sam⁶ mo¹
    • Yale: sahm mō
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sam⁶ mo¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sem⁶ mo¹
    • IPA ^(key): /sɐm²² mɔː⁵⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sím-mih
    • Tâi-lô: sím-mih
    • Phofsit Daibuun: symmiq
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ɕim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ mĩʔ³²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ɕim⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ mĩʔ⁵/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɕim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ mĩʔ³²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ɕim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ mĩʔ³²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɕim⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ mĩʔ³²/

PronounEdit

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? [Pinyin]

   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 bùzhīdào tā shì shénme rén. [Pinyin]

   I don't know what kind of person he is.

2. something; anything; whatever

   你想吃點什麼嗎？ / 你想吃点什么吗？  ―  Nǐ xiǎng chī diǎn shénme ma?  ―  Would you like something to eat?

   我什麼都不知道。 / 我什么都不知道。  ―  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.

3. (when used twice in a sentence) whatever

   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. [Pinyin]

   He can do whatever he wants.

4. (used to express surprise or anger) what

   幹的是什麼事兒！ / 干的是什么事儿！  ―  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)

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

• 什麼事／什么事
• 什麼地方／什么地方
• 什麼意思／什么意思
• 什麼時候／什么时候 (shénme shíhòu)
• 什麼樣／什么样 (shénmeyàng)
• 什麼樹結什麼果／什么树结什么果
• 什麼的／什么的 (shénmede)

• 什麼話／什么话
• 幹什麼／干什么 (gànshénme)
• 憑什麼／凭什么 (píng shénme)
• 沒什麼／没什么 (méishénme)
• 為什麼／为什么 (wèishénme)
• 關……什麼事／关……什么事 (guān...shénme shì)

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JapaneseEdit

Kanji in this term
什	麼
いん Hyōgaiji	も Hyōgaiji
Irregular

Alternative formsEdit

• 恁麼

EtymologyEdit

From spoken Middle Chinese 恁麼 (nyim^X muɑ, “what?”, archaic, literally “think + something tiny and insignificant”). The spelling shifted to include the Chinese synonym 什麼 (modern Mandarin reading of shénme), while keeping the inmo reading for 恁麼, 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.

PronunciationEdit

• (Irregular reading)
  • IPA^(key): [ĩmːo̞]

PronounEdit

什麼 (hiragana いんも, rōmaji inmo)

1. (rare) what

   天 (てん)地 (ち)と我 (われ)と什 (いん)麼 (も)の交渉 (　こうしょう)かある。

   Tenchi to ware to inmo no kōshō ka aru.

   What kind of relation between universe and I?

Usage notesEdit

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

ReferencesEdit