Shareables · 力 Leverage · 力 · Leverage
词不是字 · 什么, not 什 and 么
A frequency list of characters puts 么 first. You cannot say 么 to anyone. We rank words, so the list starts with things you can actually put in your mouth.
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什 + 么 = 什么
| Character | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 什 | shén | bound form |
| 么 | me | bound form |
| 什么 | shén me | what? — a question you can ask |
词, not 字 — what a character list cannot show you
| Character | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 什么 | shén me | what? |
| 东西 | dōng xi | thing; stuff |
| 怎么 | zěn me | how? |
| 意思 | yì si | idea; meaning |
| 后来 | hòu lái | afterwards; later |
| 为什么 | wèi shén me | why? |
| 时候 | shí hou | time |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ... |
What this card is
A one-page Chinese lesson from the 力 Leverage set, filed under 力 · Leverage. A frequency list of characters puts 么 first. You cannot say 么 to anyone. We rank words, so the list starts with things you can actually put in your mouth.
How to use it
Open the card studio above, choose a size (9:16 for TikTok and Stories, 4:5 for a feed, 1.91:1 for a link preview), then save the PNG or share it directly. The same content is written out on this page, so you can read or copy it as text.
Where it fits
See where this level sits in the HSK levels guide, browse every card, or look any word up in the dictionary.
More from 力 Leverage
- 一词开门 · 这 — 这 (pronoun this; these) opens 5 questions you can ask on day one.
- 一词开门 · 个 — 个 (generic classifier; individual; single) opens 5 questions you can ask on day one.
- 一词开门 · 什么 — 什么 (what?) opens 5 questions you can ask on day one.
- 一词开门 · 不 — 不 (no; not so) opens 5 questions you can ask on day one.
- 一词开门 · 是 — 是 (to be) opens 5 questions you can ask on day one.
- 一词开门 · 一 — 一 (one) opens 5 questions you can ask on day one.
- 一词开门 · 吗 — 吗 (question particle for yes/no questions) opens 5 questions you can ask on day one.
- 一词开门 · 你 — 你 (you) opens 5 questions you can ask on day one.
A card is one idea. The course is the map they all sit on. HSK 0 through HSK 6 on a prerequisite-ordered knowledge graph: active recall in small steps, reviews timed to land just before you would forget, and speaking practice built on the comment + question method. From $49 once for lifetime access.
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