何许人也 (hé) — what kind of person (is someone); who (is someone), where is someone from
Definition
Classical/literary set phrase used rhetorically to ask 'who on earth is this person?' — not for neutral biographical questions. Implies surprise, skepticism, or that the person is of unclear or dubious background.
verb
what kind of person (is someone)who (is someone)where is someone from
Examples
- 何许人也？。Zhè wèi xiān sheng jiū jìng shì hé? wǒ men dōu bú rèn shi tā.Who exactly is this gentleman? None of us know him.
- 何许人也？。Nà jiā gōng sī de chuàng shǐ rén dào dǐ shì hé? wǎng shàng chá bú dào zī liào.Who exactly is the founder of that company? I can't find any information online.
- ，，。Bié kàn tā chuān dé pǔ tōng, tā kě shì hěn yǒu míng qì de xué zhě, bìng fēi fàn fàn zhī bèi.Don't judge by his plain clothes—he is a very famous scholar, no ordinary person.
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