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什么的 (shén me de) — (pronoun) and so on; and whatnot; and the like

Definition

A casual pronoun placed after a list of examples to mean 'and so on / and stuff' — lighter and more spoken than 等 (děng) or 等等 (děng děng). Negated by negating the verb, not itself.

pronoun
and so onand whatnotand the like

Examples

  • 、什么的。
    Wǒ xǐ huan chī píng guǒ, xiāng jiāo shén me de.
    I like to eat apples, bananas, and so on.
  • 、什么的。
    Zhōu mò wǒ men qù chàng gē, tiào wǔ shén me de.
    On weekends we go sing, dance, and stuff.
  • 、什么的。
    Lǎo shī, tóng xué shén me de dōu lái le.
    Teachers, classmates, etc., all came.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 麼; 么 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
幺幺yāosmall, tiny
Sound part声符shēngfú
麻
麻má麼
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 麼 pairs 麻, which gives the sound, with 幺, which means small/tiny; the simplified 么 is a later shorthand.

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Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
白白báiwhite
Sound part声符shēngfú
勺
勺sháo的de
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

的 pairs 白, related to white or brightness, with 勺, which gives a clue to the sound. Its older form 旳 meant bright.

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Grammar

Appears in
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