- 为什么 wèishénme whyUsed to ask for a reason or purpose
- 没什么 méishénme nothingnothing; not anything; nothing important or difficult
- 干什么 gànshénme to do whatTo do what or do something; used to ask about an action or purpose.
- 什么样 shénmeyàng what kindwhat kind; what sort; what appearance
- 什么的 shénmede and so onUsed at the end of a list to mean "and so forth" or "and whatnot"
- 算不了什么 suànbuliǎoshénme it is nothingNot be anything serious; not be very impressive; not count as anything.
- 什么风把你吹来的 shénmefēngbǎnǐchuīláide what brings you hereAn idiomatic way to ask what brings a person to a place, often used as a friendly greeting when someone visits unexpectedly.
- 做什么 zuòshénme to do whatto do what; used to ask about an action or activity
- 凭什么 píngshénme on what basisUsed in spoken language to indignantly ask for what reason or by what authority someone is doing something; for what reason; why.
- 到什么山上,唱什么歌 dàoshénmeshānshàngchàngshénmegē when in Rome, do as the Romans do(idiom) Lit. whatever mountain one is on, one should sing its songs; meaning one should adapt to the local customs or situation
- 林子大了,什么鸟都有 línzidàleshénmeniǎodōuyǒu it takes all sorts(idiom) lit. when the woods are large, there are all kinds of birds; used to mean that in a large world or group, you will encounter all kinds of people, including strange or bad ones
- 没有什么 méiyǒushénme it's nothingit's nothing; there's nothing wrong; it's of no importance
- 没有什么不可能 méiyǒushénmebùkěnéng nothing is impossibleUsed to express that there is nothing that cannot be done or that everything is within the realm of possibility.
- 活得久了,什么都能见到 huódejiǔleshénmedōunéngjiàndào if you live long enough you see everythingto have lived a long time and witnessed many strange things; often used to express surprise at an unexpected or bizarre event
- 然而并没有什么卵用 rán'érbìngméiyǒushénmeluǎnyòng completely uselesshowever it actually has no use at all; a slang expression used to describe something that seems impressive or significant but ultimately has no practical effect or value
- 用什么 yòngshénme with whatusing what means or method; how
- 算什么 suànshénme what is it consideredTo be considered as what; used to ask about the status, position, or category of something
- 葫芦里卖的是什么药 húlulǐmàideshìshénmeyào what's up one's sleeveUsed as a metaphorical question to ask what someone's hidden intentions or secret plans are.
- 不差什么 bùchāshénme nearlyalmost; nearly; quite close to
- 都什么年代了 dōushénmeniándàile [rhetorical question]Used as a rhetorical question to express that an idea or behavior is extremely out-of-date; literally "what era are we already in?".
- 不算什么 bùsuànshénme to be nothingto be not worth mentioning; to be not unusual or surprising
- 什么事 shénmeshì What's the matter?Used as a question to ask what is happening, what is up, or if something is wrong.
- 什么人 shénmerén whowho; what kind of person
- 什么地方 shénmedìfang whereUsed as a question to ask for a specific location or what place.
- 什么好说 shénmehǎoshuō anything to say(in rhetorical questions) what is there to say (implying there is nothing worth discussing or no further explanation is needed)
- 什么时候 shénmeshíhou whenUsed to ask about the time an event occurs; at what time.