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Chinese/Dictionary entry

什么鬼

shén me guǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(coll.) what the hell? / what on earth? (expression of confusion, disbelief or annoyance)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-41074dd116b23fc8. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

什麼鬼 什么鬼 [shen2 me5 gui3] /(coll.) what the hell?; what on earth? (expression of confusion, disbelief or annoyance)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 什麼鬼

  • 什
    shén

    what

    shí

    ten (used in fractions, writing checks etc) / assorted / miscellaneous

  • 么
    yāo

    youngest / most junior / tiny / one (unambiguous spoken form when spelling out numbers, esp. on telephone or in military) / one or ace on dice or dominoes / variant of 吆[yāo], to shout

    má

    exclamatory final particle

    ma

    interrogative final particle

    me

    suffix, used to form interrogative 什麼|什么[shén me], what?, indefinite 這麼|这么[zhè me] thus, etc

    Yāo

    surname Yao

  • 鬼
    guǐ

    disembodied spirit / ghost / devil / (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc / sly / crafty / resourceful (variant of 詭|诡[guǐ]) / one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.