什么的(shénme de) is an informal way to express "etc.," and is used to end a list of items when it is obvious to the listener what class of things the speaker is talking about. 什么的 can also be used after a single item if it is obvious enough what might follow.
Contents
- Structure
- Examples
- See also
- Sources and further reading
- Books
Structure
Examples
- 欧洲 有 哪些 国家？法国，英国，德国 什么 的。 反正 都 是 些 小 国家！ Which countries are in Europe? France, England, Germany, etc. Anyway, they are all small countries!
- 像 数学 啊，化学 啊，英语 啊 什么的，我 都 觉得 超级 无聊，不 想 学！ Math, chemistry, English, and so on. I think they are all really boring. I don't want to study them!
- 游泳 啊 什么的 对 身体 有 好处。 Swimming and such is good for the body.
It can be a little impolite to use 什么的 after a list of peoples names, in which case 等 can be used in place of 什么的. When referring to a list of friends in informal contexts there is no problem using 什么的.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp.304-7)
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp.121)
- 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 122-3)