什么 (shénme)

Basic Explanation

"什么" is a Chinese interrogative pronoun used to ask questions about things, people, or situations. It translates to "what" in English.

Usage

"什么" is used at the beginning or within a sentence to ask about unknown or unspecified things, people, or situations. It can also be used as a modifier to emphasize surprise, disbelief, or other emotions. Here are some examples of its usage:

• Example:

  你要买什么？
  (Nǐ yào mǎi shénme?)
  - What do you want to buy?

• Example:

  他怎么会做出这样的事情？
  (Tā zěnme huì zuò chū zhèyàng de shìqing?)
  - How could he do such a thing?

Examples

Here are some example sentences with "什么" to illustrate its usage:

• 你们在谈论什么？
  (Nǐmen zài tánlùn shénme?)
  - What are you talking about?
• 我不知道发生了什么事情。
  (Wǒ bù zhīdào fāshēng le shénme shìqing.)
  - I don't know what happened.