什
Characters in this entry
- 什
- shén · file of ten soldiers; mixed, miscellaneous
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
2 · shen2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
Sentences in context
Exact source-spelling matches. Open the reader for dictionary lookups, construction notes and related examples. Occurrence does not establish a particular dictionary sense.
Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
sam6 · sap6 · zaap6
Cantonese word readings for 什. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character · Etymology 1
- only used in 什麼／什么 (shénme)
character · Etymology 2
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese, census) ten families
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) troop of ten men
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) set of ten poems
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 十 (shí, “ten”), usually used in fractions or multiples.
- miscellaneous; assorted
- (alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 雜 /杂 (zá)
- a surname
character · Etymology 3
- used in 通什
character · Etymology 4
- (Hokkien) alternative form of 啥 (“what”)
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack