什麼

See also: 什麽, 甚麼, 甚麽, and 什么

Chinese

Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

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.
  • Wu
    • (Shanghainese)
      • Wugniu: 7seq-moq
      • Wiktionary Romanisation: 4seq-moq
      • Sinological IPA (key): /səʔ³³ moʔ⁴⁴/

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? [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 bù zhīdào tā shì shénme rén. [Pinyin]
    I don't know what kind of person he is.
  2. something
    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?
  3. anything; whatever
    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.
    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)

Synonyms

Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

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).[1] The spelling shifted to include the Chinese synonym Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value) (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]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [ĩmːo̞]

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

Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value).

Definitions
For pronunciation and definitions of 什麼 – see the following entry.
【どんな】
[adjective] how?; like what?; what kind of...?
[adjective] 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. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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