WHAT 甚麼
[GRAMMAR]
Modern Chinese Criteria
rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／ LU JIANMING
Words
何 hé OC: ɡlaal MC: ɦɑ 143 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- nprowhat (on earth)CH
- npro{PRED}.postN{SUBJ}rhetoricalwhat on earth is it?CH
- nprowhat object on earthCH
- npro.+Vtt:+Nreference=object何謂五美 "what are the five beautiful things"
- npro.adNobjectwhat kind of N?
- npro.adNquestionwhat (e.g. time) 何時
- npro.adNquestionwhat ((kind of) predicate 何人"what kind of person is he?"
- npro.adNrhetorical questionwhat N on earth? i.e. none of the N kind
- npro.postVt:adV[0]V-ing what object of a coverb> what? e.g. 從何生？
- npro.postVtreference=objectwhat?
- npro{OBJ}+Vtwhat (object?)
- npro{OBJ}+Vt.adV何以知其然 "using what does one know that this is so?"
- npro{OBJ}+Vt.adVexpected answer: no!何以事君？what?
- npro{OBJ}+Vtexpected answer: no!whatever does the subject V? (i.e. nothing!)
- npro{OBJ}+Vtt+prep+NWhat direct object?CH
- npro{PRED}(postN{SUBJ})what is it?
- npro{PRED}.postN{SUBJ}what is (the subject)
- npro{SUBJ}+V{PRED}subjectwhat (non-human subject)?
- v>nproNOMINALISED vpro不知其誰何 “not know who or what he was" being whatCH
奚 xī OC: ɡee MC: ɦei 19 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- npro.adNquestionwhat N? 奚故
- npro.adNrhetorical questionwhat? [Note that complex NPs are apparently not acceptable after xī 奚
- npro{OBJ}+Vtwhat object?
- npro{OBJ}+Vtexpected answer: no!what object? i.e. none
什麼 shí mǒ OC: ɡjub maalʔ MC: dʑip mʷɑ 16 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPpro.adNcolloquialwhat N
- NPpro.adNcolloquialwhat N? 說什麼來日 ! Don't talk about tomorrow...; what's the talk about tomorrow...
- PPcolloquialwhat (in object position)
何物 hé wù OC: ɡlaal mɯd MC: ɦɑ mi̯ut 16 AttributionsWD
- Studies in the Language of Zǔtáng jí 祖堂集
(
ANDERL 2004B)
p.
201-202 The original meaning of the compound is 'what thing' (see e.g. GUAN). However, by the time of the Six Dynaties period the two words seem to have already merged into one compound. As in the case of he2shi4 何事 this is evidenced by its adnominal usage where the translation 'what thing' is not possible. In ZTJ he2wu4 is not used adnominally and in several instances the translation 'what thing' is preferable. However, in most instances he2wu4 substitutes abstract nouns.
Early examples can be found in SHISHUO and SUISHU. (牛屋下是何物人).
In BIANWEN the graphical form is 何勿.
- 近代漢語研究概況 Jìndài hànyǔ yánjiū gàikuàng A Survey Study on Early Mandarin
(
JIANG SHAOYU 1994)
p.
130
- Syntactic words
- NPpro.adNwhat kind of
- NPproobjectwhat thing > what
- NPprosubjectwhat?
- NPpro{PRED}be what? also: 復是何物？
孰 shú OC: djɯwɡ MC: dʑuk 14 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- npro V{PRED}rhetoricalwhich oneCH
- npro+N{PRED}what [not: "which of these things" which I call contrastive]
- npro.adNderivedwhat kind of N?CH
- nproreference=subject(contrastive) what? what thing
- npro{OBJ}+Vtwhat (in the function of verbal object)LZ
- npro{SUBJ}+V{PRED}V=compwhat is the more V
什摩 shí mó OC: ɡjub maal MC: dʑip mʷɑ 13 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPpro.adNcolloquialwhat N, which N, what kind of N
- NPpro.adNcolloquialin rhetorical question: what N (> certainly not N, not a proper N, etc.)
- PPcolloquialwhat
何等 hé děng OC: ɡlaal k-lɯɯŋʔ MC: ɦɑ təŋ 9 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPpro.adNwhat level of (strength etc); what kind of
- NPpro.adVsubjectwhat (in subject position)
- NPpro.postVtwhat
- NPpropredicatewhat is that to me? (rhetorical)
何者 hé zhě OC: ɡlaal kljaʔ MC: ɦɑ tɕɣɛ 8 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPprowhat
- NPpro.adNwhich N
- NPproobjectwhich, what
個什摩 gè shí mó OC: kaals ɡjub maal MC: kɑ dʑip mʷɑ 8 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPpro.postVtwhat ?
- PPadNwhat N?
何所 hé suǒ OC: ɡlaal sqraʔ MC: ɦɑ ʂi̯ɤ 7 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPprorhetoricalwhich object on earth?CH
- NPpro{OBJ}+VtNPpro=objectwhat object?
- PP Vtrhetoricalwhatever object (on earth)?CH
曷 hé MC: hat OC: ɡaadLZ 7 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- nprowhat (archaic and archaising)LZ
- npro{OBJ} Vtwhat (archaic or archaising)LZ
如何 rú hé OC: nja ɡlaal MC: ȵi̯ɤ ɦɑ 5 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPprowhat kind of a thing? What kind of a person?
- NPpro[PRED]what is it?CH
云何 yún hé OC: ɢun ɡlaal MC: ɦi̯un ɦɑ 4 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPpro.adVBUDDHIST: what is V-ed?
箇什麼 gè shí mǒ OC: kaals ɡjub maalʔ MC: kɑ dʑip mʷɑ 3 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPcolloquialwhat
- NPpostVcolloquialV what? > how can it be V? certainly not V! (why should I VERB), etc.
- NPpro.adNcolloquialwhat, what sort of
甚 shèn OC: ɡljums MC: dʑim 2 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- npro.adNcolloquialwhat (this question word appeared during the Tang and can be found on some Dunhuang manuscripts and texts from the Tang period; it is identical in function with the earlier 是 'what' as well as with 什 'what' which appeared somewhat later, 是, 甚,什 seem to be different transliteration of the same colloquial phonem; 是, 甚,什 gradually replaced 何 from the Six Dyn. period onwards; 甚 is rarely used in compound words: 甚沒 (BLZ), 甚物, 甚謨 (Stein 2669), 甚生 (Tang, Bianwen), 甚摩 (Five Dyn.), 甚麼 (early Song))
幾何 jǐ hé OC: kɯlʔ ɡlaal MC: kɨi ɦɑ 2 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- PPadVwhat?
- PPadVmathematical termwhat, how muchVK
害 hé MC: -- OC: -- 1 AttributionWD
- Syntactic words
- npro{OBJ}+Vtwhat?, which?
亦何 yì hé OC: k-laɡ ɡlaal MC: jiɛk ɦɑ 1 AttributionWD
- Syntactic words
- PPadVrhetorical questionwhat (expected answer: nothing)
何事 hé shì OC: ɡlaal dzrɯs MC: ɦɑ ɖʐɨ 1 AttributionWD
- Syntactic words
- NPpro.adNwhat matter > what
有 yǒu OC: ɢʷɯʔ MC: ɦɨu 1 AttributionWD
- Syntactic words
- VPirhetorical questioncolloquial: what?
孰者 shú zhě OC: djɯwɡ kljaʔ MC: dʑuk tɕɣɛ 1 AttributionWD
- Syntactic words
- NPprosubjectwhich one?
庸何 yōng hé OC: k-loŋ ɡlaal MC: ji̯oŋ ɦɑ 1 AttributionWD
- Syntactic words
- PP+Vtwhat object?, what place>whereto
惡乎 wū hū OC: qaa ɢaa MC: ʔuo̝ ɦuo̝ 1 AttributionWD
- Syntactic words
- NPproon what object? to what?
作什麼 zuò shí mǒ OC: tsaaɡ ɡjub maalʔ MC: tsɑk dʑip mʷɑ 1 AttributionWD
- Syntactic words
- NPpro.adNcolloquialwhat kind of N
焉 yān MC: 'jen OC: qranDS 1 AttributionWD
- Syntactic words
- npro{OBJ} VtwhatDS
何居 hé jū OC: ɡlaal ka MC: ɦɑ ki̯ɤ 0 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- VPiWhat is this?
孰與 shú yǔ OC: djɯwɡ k-laʔ MC: dʑuk ji̯ɤ 0 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPprowhat?
緣何 yuán hé OC: k-lon ɡlaal MC: jiɛn ɦɑ 0 AttributionsWD
- Syntactic words
- NPpro.adNwhat, what kind of
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