shénme

shénme is a Mandarin Chinese word that translates to "what" in English. It is a fundamental interrogative pronoun used to ask questions about the identity or nature of something. The pronunciation involves a falling tone on the first syllable and a neutral tone on the second.

In Mandarin, shénme functions similarly to "what" in English, serving as a direct replacement for an unknown noun or phrase. For example, "Nǐ chī shénme?" translates to "What are you eating?" Here, shénme stands in for the name of the food. Similarly, "Zhè shì shénme?" means "What is this?" asking for the identification of an object.

The word can also be used in a broader sense to inquire about a situation or circumstances. For instance, "Chū shénme shì le?" can be translated as "What happened?" or "What's wrong?". Its versatility makes it an indispensable part of everyday conversation in Mandarin. Understanding the usage of shénme is a crucial step for learners of the language. It is often encountered in basic sentence structures and forms the basis of many inquiries.