How to use 哪儿、谁、什么
Clause containing 哪儿 / 谁 / 什么 / 什么时候 as an unspecified reference
Chinese question words sometimes refer to an unspecified item rather than asking the listener to identify it. 哪儿 can mean somewhere when recalling a place that cannot be named, and 谁 can refer to an unspecified person. The speaker may remember an experience without recalling its source, or may leave a choice open for someone else to make.
Context and intonation distinguish these readings from direct questions. 什么 and 什么时候 can similarly refer to something or some suitable time. Do not assume that the question word alone always carries an indefinite meaning; the surrounding construction must support it. Adding 都 creates a different pattern that commonly ranges over all possibilities rather than one unspecified possibility.
Examples with pinyin and English
这个人我在哪儿见过。
I've met this person somewhere before.
这首歌我在哪儿听过。
I know I've heard this song somewhere.
这篇文章我们在哪儿看过。
We've read this article somewhere before.
你让谁来帮我一下。
Ask someone to help me with this.
我们应该做点儿什么。
We should do something.
What to remember
- Use context to distinguish questions from vague references.
- An unspecified referent need not be identifiable.
- Question Word + 都 usually has a different scope.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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