Learn Chinese - What is the best translation of shénme? -

> Learning Chinese > Reading and Writing
What is the best translation of shénme?
Home New Posts

Login: Pass: Log in or register for standard view and full access.





Page 1 of 2 1 2 >






Chinese Learner -

Hi,

I'm transcribing some pinyin into mandarin to teach myself to write a few basic simplified words,
but I keep coming across a several different versions.

Can some please tell me what is the correct translation of 'shénme'?

Nǐ yào shénme? -> What do you want?

Is it:

你要什么?

or

你要甚么?

Or have I got it completely wrong?

By the way does anyone know of a translation website on the net that translates several words at
the same time into characters rather than a single one word a a go, so that I can input all the
'stock' phrases? Free or otherwise?

Thank you!



Pleco Software Learn Chinese with our Dictionaries for Palm and Pocket PC.
Learn Chinese in China Learn to speak Chinese 1MonthChinese.com -Mandarin School in China.
Chinese Textbooks Wide range, cheap, varied languages. Also Chinese cartoons, toys, gifts.
Study Chinese in Beijing Affordable Mandarin language courses at BLCU with ChinaUnipath.com.
HNHSoft Dictionary Learn Chinese on Smartphone and PDA with real person's voice.
XueXueXue IQChinese Get beyond the plateau.Take your Mandarin to a new level.
Chinese in Lijiang Short term Chinese study in a beautiful town with a focus on daily life.
MandarinTube Chinese Access to current everyday Chinese language and culture, 24/7.
Learn Chinese Homestay Chinese course, cultural activities & volunteer events in China.
Learn Chinese Online 1-on-1 instant tutoring, diverse courses, native teachers. FREE trial now!
Nihao Chinese Progam Free one-on-one Chinese lesson. Win 5-years of free lessons now!


About Ads (and how to hide them) -- Your message here









imron -



Quote:

By the way does anyone know of a translation website on the net that translates several words at
the same time into characters rather than a single one word a a go

See google translate.










leosmith -



Quote:

What is the best translation of shénme?

I'm torn. Ok, 2 answers.
1. Yes
2. Who's on first?










Lu -

什么 is the completely simplified version, 甚麼 the completely traditional one. Both are
correct, and it seems combinations of simp and trad are also widely used, but am not sure of the
rules for this.










musingpuppy -

Usually 甚 means "what". "你做甚？" means "what are you doing?"










Lu -



Quote:

"你做甚？" means "what are you doing?"

Don't you mean 啥, as in 你做啥? I don't think I've ever seen 甚 used like this.










Bibiy -

two versions have the same meaning .Basically,they have no difference .you can use both,but
"什么" is more often in common life.










musingpuppy -

Lu,

For example: 这样的不孝的儿子养他做甚！










Bibiy -

i think "这样的不孝儿子养他干嘛"is better,because the "做甚"is usually used in
dialect.










文言訓開班 -

I'm of the impression that they're considered different tones: 什 shen2, 甚 shen4. I can't
imagine it makes much difference which is spoken, as I imagine it's a phonetic rule that controls
how the sound comes out: for some speakers, it's the first sometimes, the second others. In
Cantonese, the difference is bigger though: 什 sap6, 甚 zhen3.

Some words take only one of the two: 甚至

They mean the same thing, though, which comes across better in 什 - many. 甚至 means something
like 'even as much as'.












All times are GMT +8. The time now is 06:45 PM.














Learn Chinese, Chinese Mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet