Definitions
(particle)
what
(numeral,adjective)
assorted; miscellaneous
Etymology
The character is based on the original meaning "file of ten soldiers". The modern meaning "what" is a phonetic loan.
About
As a phono-semantic compound, 什 (shí or shén) combines the semantic radical 亻 (rén), meaning person, with the phonetic component 十 (shí), meaning ten. It originally referred to a military unit of ten soldiers. Over time, its use shifted away from this numerical sense, and it now primarily functions as a phonetic element in the interrogative pronoun 什么 (shénme, "what") and to denote a miscellaneous collection, as in terms for assorted items.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这是什么书？
你在做什么？
他为什么不来？
我不知道说什么。
你想吃什么水果？
无论什么天气，我都去。
她问我什么时候去北京。
如果你不明白这是什么意思，可以问我。