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
The character 什 is structurally a phono-semantic compound formed from the person radical 亻 and the component 十, which represents the number ten and historically provided phonetic guidance. Its earliest documented meaning centered on a unit of ten people, often used for military or administrative groupings in ancient texts. This sense of a collective unit later extended to signify assorted or miscellaneous items, as seen in compounds like 什锦, denoting a mixed variety. In contemporary usage, 什 functions primarily as a phonetic element in the interrogative term 什么, where its original meaning is no longer active, while the traditional form of the character retains the same compositional elements.
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。