In English, "who," "what," and "where" are pure interrogatives — the only way to smuggle "anyone / anything / anywhere" into a sentence is to reach for a different word. Chinese doesn't bother: the very same 谁, 什么, 哪儿 that ask a question double as indefinite words meaning "anyone / anything / anywhere." Nothing about the word changes — what changes is the frame around it. Wrap 什么 in a question frame and it means "what?"; wrap it in 都/也, 有, or 吗 and it means "anything / something." This page teaches you to read that frame, because once you can, a whole layer of natural Chinese ("I didn't buy anything," "nobody knows," "go wherever you like") opens up. The question-word basics are on question words in situ.
One word, two jobs
The same character wears two hats. Which one it wears is settled entirely by context and frame — never by a change in the word itself.
| Word | As a question | As an indefinite |
|---|---|---|
| 谁 (shéi) | who? | anyone / everyone / someone |
| 什么 (shénme) | what? | anything / everything / something |
| 哪儿 (nǎr) | where? | anywhere / everywhere |
| 怎么 (zěnme) | how? | (in) any way / no matter how |
| 几 (jǐ) | how many? | a few / several / some |
Universal: question word + 都 / 也
Put 都 (or 也) right after a question word and it stops asking and starts meaning "every / any." Read literally, 谁都 is "who — all," i.e. "everyone / anyone." The order is rigid: the question word stays in situ, and 都/也 slots in after it and before the verb — exactly where 都 always sits.
这件事谁都知道，不是秘密。
zhè jiàn shì shéi dōu zhīdào, bú shì mìmì
Everyone knows about this — it's no secret. (informal)
他什么都吃，一点儿都不挑食。
tā shénme dōu chī, yìdiǎnr dōu bù tiāoshí
He'll eat anything — he's not a picky eater at all. (informal)
只要有你在，我哪儿都愿意去。
zhǐyào yǒu nǐ zài, wǒ nǎr dōu yuànyì qù
As long as you're there, I'm willing to go anywhere. (informal, warm)
这道题我怎么都算不对。
zhè dào tí wǒ zěnme dōu suàn bú duì
No matter how I do this problem, I can't get it right. (informal) — 怎么都 = 'no matter how'.
Negative: question word + 也 / 都 + 不 / 没
Keep the same 都/也 frame but negate the verb, and "every/any" flips to a sweeping "no-one / nothing / nowhere." 什么都没买 is literally "what — all — didn't buy," i.e. "bought nothing." This is the everyday way to say a total negative, and it is far more natural than hunting for a word like "nothing."
我什么都没买，钱包忘带了。
wǒ shénme dōu méi mǎi, qiánbāo wàng dài le
I didn't buy anything — I forgot my wallet. (informal)
这件事谁也不知道，你放心。
zhè jiàn shì shéi yě bù zhīdào, nǐ fàngxīn
Nobody knows about this — don't worry. (informal)
我今天哪儿也不想去，就想在家躺着。
wǒ jīntiān nǎr yě bù xiǎng qù, jiù xiǎng zài jiā tǎng zhe
I don't want to go anywhere today — I just want to lie around at home. (informal)
Existential: 有 + question word (and the 吗 twist)
A third frame gives the "some / any" reading — the plain existential indefinite. After 有 ("there is"), a question word means "some / any," and this is where English speakers get a jolt: 你想喝点什么吗？ is not "what do you want to drink?" It is a yes/no question — "do you want something to drink?" The 吗 turns the whole thing into a yes/no poll, so 什么 can only be the indefinite "anything."
冰箱里有什么吃的吗？
bīngxiāng lǐ yǒu shénme chī de ma
Is there anything to eat in the fridge? (informal)
你想喝点什么吗？
nǐ xiǎng hē diǎn shénme ma
Do you want something to drink? (informal) — with 吗 it's yes/no, so 什么 = 'something', not 'what?'
好像有谁在敲门，你去看看。
hǎoxiàng yǒu shéi zài qiāo mén, nǐ qù kànkan
Sounds like someone's knocking — go take a look. (informal)
我有几句话想跟你说。
wǒ yǒu jǐ jù huà xiǎng gēn nǐ shuō
I've got a few things I want to say to you. (neutral) — 几 here is 'a few', not 'how many?'
Paired co-reference: 谁…就…谁
A cousin pattern uses the same question word twice, once in each clause, to mean "whoever / whatever / wherever." The first occurrence sets up an open variable; the second one, usually after 就, pins the main clause to it. 谁想去谁去 = "whoever wants to go, goes." English needs a whole relative clause ("whoever…"); Chinese just repeats the word.
谁想去谁去，我不勉强。
shéi xiǎng qù shéi qù, wǒ bù miǎnqiǎng
Whoever wants to go, goes — I won't force anyone. (informal)
你想吃什么就吃什么，别客气。
nǐ xiǎng chī shénme jiù chī shénme, bié kèqi
Eat whatever you want — don't be shy. (informal)
哪儿便宜我们就去哪儿。
nǎr piányi wǒmen jiù qù nǎr
We'll go wherever's cheapest. (informal)
Making it explicit: 无论 / 不管 … 都
When you want to spell out the "no matter" force, head the clause with 无论 or 不管 and keep the question word plus a resuming 都 in the main clause. This is the same indefinite reading, just with a concessive signpost bolted on the front — see 无论/不管…都.
无论谁来，我都不见。
wúlùn shéi lái, wǒ dōu bú jiàn
No matter who comes, I'm not seeing them. (neutral, firm)
不管你说什么，他都听不进去。
bùguǎn nǐ shuō shénme, tā dōu tīng bú jìnqù
No matter what you say, he won't take it in. (informal)
Common Mistakes
1. Forgetting 都 / 也 — the bare word snaps back to a question. Strip out the frame and 谁 defaults to "who?" again.
❌ 谁知道这件事。
Reads as a question 'who knows this?' — for 'everyone knows' you need the frame: 谁都知道这件事。
✅ 谁都知道这件事。
shéi dōu zhīdào zhè jiàn shì
Everyone knows about this. — 都 makes 谁 universal.
2. Putting 都 before the question word. The question word stays in situ; 都 follows it.
❌ 我都什么没买。
Wrong order — the question word comes first, then 都: 我什么都没买。
✅ 我什么都没买。
wǒ shénme dōu méi mǎi
I didn't buy anything. — 什么 → 都 → verb.
3. Using 也 with a plain positive verb. For the positive universal, use 都; 也 wants a negation beside it.
❌ 他什么也吃。
Off — a positive universal takes 都, not 也: 他什么都吃。 (什么也 needs 不/没.)
✅ 他什么都吃。
tā shénme dōu chī
He'll eat anything. — positive universal with 都.
4. Tacking 吗 onto an indefinite statement. A universal or negative statement is already a complete assertion; 吗 has nothing to poll.
❌ 我什么都不知道吗。
Wrong — this is a statement, so no 吗: 我什么都不知道。
✅ 我什么都不知道。
wǒ shénme dōu bù zhīdào
I don't know anything. — plain statement, no 吗.
Key Takeaways
- The same question word is a question or an indefinite ("anyone / anything") depending on the frame — 都/也, 有, 吗 — not on the word itself.
- Question word + 都/也 = universal ("every / any"): 谁都知道 (everyone knows). The word stays in situ; 都/也 sits after it, before the verb.
- Add negation and it flips to "no-one / nothing / nowhere": 什么都没买 (bought nothing). 都 works either polarity; 也 needs 不/没.
- 有 + question word and the 吗 frame give "some / any": 你想喝点什么吗？ = "want something to drink?" (yes/no), not "what?"
- Doubling the word (谁…就…谁) means "whoever / whatever," and 无论/不管…都 spells out the "no matter" force.
Now practice Chinese
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Start learning Chinese→Related Topics
- Question Words Stay In Place (In Situ)HSK 1 — The single most important rule for Chinese wh-questions: the question word sits exactly where the answer will sit. No fronting, no do-support, no reordering — 你去哪儿？ not ❌哪儿你去？ And because the question word already asks, you never add 吗.
- 谁 (shéi): Who / WhomHSK 1 — 谁 (shéi, also read shuí) asks 'who' and, staying in place, works as subject (谁来了？), object (你找谁？), or possessor (谁的书？= whose book). No who/whom distinction, no fronting — as an object it stays after the verb.
- 什么 (shénme): What / What Kind OfHSK 1 — 什么 (shénme) is Mandarin's all-purpose 'what' — it stays in situ where the answer will go (你想吃什么？), and placed before a noun it means 'what kind of / which N' with no measure word (什么书, 什么颜色).
- 都 (All/Both) and Backward ScopeHSK 1 — 都 (dōu) means 'all / both' but sums up what comes BEFORE it — the plural thing must precede 都 (我们都去, 这些都很贵) — and its position relative to 不 flips the meaning (都不 'none' vs 不都 'not all').
- 无论/不管…都… (No Matter…)HSK 3 — 无论/不管/不论…都/也… (wúlùn/bùguǎn/búlùn…dōu/yě) means 'no matter…' — but the first clause MUST contain a question element: 无论多难，都要坚持 'no matter how hard, keep going'.