# Chinese Question Pronouns for Arbitrary Reference (HSK 3 Grammar) | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3-pronouns-f3159b0e23 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-3-pronouns-f3159b0e23 HSK levels: 3 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:22.922Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how Chinese question words like 谁, 什么, and 哪儿 express 'everyone', 'anything', and 'whichever' using 疑问代词+都 and paired correlative patterns. Grammar [HSK 3 · Word classes › Pronouns › Interrogative pronouns](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3#hsk-3-g008) # Non-Interrogative Uses of Question Pronouns (Arbitrary Reference): 疑问代词+都 and Paired 疑问代词 In Chinese, question pronouns such as 谁 (who), 什么 (what), and 哪儿 (where) do not always ask questions. In Level 3 of the supplied grammar outline, they are used for arbitrary reference (任指) in two primary patterns: paired with 都 to mean 'everyone/everything/everywhere' (or 'no one/nothing/nowhere' in negative sentences), and repeated across two clauses to mean 'whoever/whatever/wherever'. Interrogative pronoun (谁 / 什么 / 哪儿 / etc.) 都 Verb or adjective phrase (affirmative or negated) Example sentence 这个问题太简单了，谁都知道答案。 Zhè ge wèntí tài jiǎndān le, shéi dōu zhīdào dá'àn. This question is too simple; everyone knows the answer. 谁 is the subject and sits directly before 都 to mean 'everyone/anyone'. A common mistake × 这家饭馆的菜，我喜欢吃什么都。 zhè jiā fànguǎn de cài, wǒ xǐhuan chī shénme dōu. Intended: I like all the dishes at this restaurant. Do not put 什么都 at the end after 吃 in this statement. Put it before 喜欢吃 to make the intended all-inclusive object clear. Corrected example: 这家饭馆的菜，我什么都喜欢吃。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What Is Arbitrary Reference (任指)? Beginners first learn words like 谁 (who), 什么 (what), 哪 (which), 哪儿/哪里 (where), and 怎么 (how) to ask for unknown information. In the Level 3 grammar scope of the supplied HSK outline, these interrogative pronouns (疑问代词) take on a non-interrogative function called arbitrary reference (任指). Instead of asking a question, the pronoun points to any or every member within a category without exception. The outline lists two core patterns: a question pronoun with 都, and a repeated pronoun across linked clauses. The pronoun itself is not requesting an answer, but the whole sentence can still be a question: 你什么都喜欢吃吗？ means “Do you like all kinds of food?” Choose punctuation for the whole sentence. ## Pattern 1: 疑问代词 + 都…… (All, Any, or None) In the first pattern, an interrogative pronoun is placed before the adverb 都 (all/both) and the main predicate. Together, they state that the action or state applies universally to any person, thing, place, or manner in the context. In affirmative sentences, 谁都 means 'everyone' or 'anyone', 什么都 means 'everything' or 'anything', and 哪儿都 means 'everywhere' or 'anywhere'. In negative sentences, the negation word (such as 不 or 没) comes after 都, translating to 'no one', 'nothing', or 'nowhere'. Interrogative pronoun (谁 / 什么 / 哪儿 / etc.) 都 Verb or adjective phrase (affirmative or negated) 这个问题太简单了，谁都知道答案。 Zhè ge wèntí tài jiǎndān le, shéi dōu zhīdào dá'àn. This question is too simple; everyone knows the answer. 谁 is the subject and sits directly before 都 to mean 'everyone/anyone'. When the question pronoun serves as the logical object of the verb (such as what someone eats or where someone goes), it must be moved in front of 都. It cannot stay after the verb if 都 is summarizing it. 他不挑食，什么都喜欢吃。 Tā bù tiāoshí, shénme dōu xǐhuan chī. He is not a picky eater; he likes to eat anything. 什么 is the logical object of 吃, so it is fronted before 都 (Subject + 什么 + 都 + Verb). 今天外面下大雨，我哪儿都不想去。 Jīntiān wàimiàn xià dàyǔ, wǒ nǎr dōu bù xiǎng qù. It is raining heavily outside today; I don't want to go anywhere. In a negative sentence, 哪儿 + 都 + 不 means 'nowhere at all'. ## Pattern 2: 疑问代词 + 疑问代词 (Whoever, Whatever, Wherever) In the second pattern from the syllabus, the same interrogative pronoun appears twice—once in a first clause and once in a following clause. The two pronouns refer to the exact same arbitrary person, object, place, or way. The first clause sets up a condition or open choice, and the second clause states the matching action or result. The adverb 就 is very frequently placed before the verb in the second clause to highlight the direct link between the two parts. Interrogative pronoun (谁 / 什么 / 哪儿 / etc.) Clause A predicate (condition or selection) ， Interrogative pronoun (谁 / 什么 / 哪儿 / etc.) 就 Clause B predicate (matching action or result) 谁先到，谁就先选座位。 Shéi xiān dào, shéi jiù xiān xuǎn zuòwèi. Whoever arrives first chooses a seat first. Repeated 谁 links the condition clause and the result clause; both refer to the same person. Unlike Pattern 1, where the question pronoun must precede 都, the question pronouns in Pattern 2 keep their normal grammatical positions inside each clause. If the pronoun is the object of the verb, it stays after the verb. 你想吃什么，我们就买什么。 Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme, wǒmen jiù mǎi shénme. Whatever you want to eat, we will buy. Both instances of 什么 remain in their normal object position after the verbs 吃 and 买. 哪儿安静，我就去哪儿看书。 Nǎr ānjìng, wǒ jiù qù nǎr kàn shū. Wherever it is quiet, I will go there to read. The first 哪儿 acts as the subject of 安静, while the second 哪儿 is the object of 去. ## Choosing Between the Two Patterns Although both structures use question pronouns for arbitrary reference, they serve different communicative goals and follow different word-order rules: - Scope vs. Matching Condition: Use 疑问代词 + 都 when a single statement holds true for every possible member of a group without exception. Use paired 疑问代词 + 疑问代词 when an outcome depends on a variable choice ('whichever one fits condition A gets result B'). - Position of Object Pronouns: In 疑问代词 + 都, an object pronoun like 什么 or 谁 must be fronted before 都 (e.g., Topic/Subject + 疑问代词 + 都 + Verb). In paired clauses, each pronoun sits in its standard subject or object slot within its own clause. - Pairing Identity: In the repeated-pronoun pattern, both clauses must use the same question pronoun to refer to the same target. Switching pronouns mid-sentence changes the meaning or breaks the link. ## Common Learner Mistake: Leaving the Pronoun After the Verb with 都 In the pattern 什么都喜欢吃, 什么 must come before 都 and the predicate. Do not leave 什么都 after 吃 as if it were an ordinary post-verbal object. The pair below keeps the same restaurant and the same preference, changing only the misplaced phrase. × 这家饭馆的菜，我喜欢吃什么都。 zhè jiā fànguǎn de cài, wǒ xǐhuan chī shénme dōu. Intended: I like all the dishes at this restaurant. Do not put 什么都 at the end after 吃 in this statement. Put it before 喜欢吃 to make the intended all-inclusive object clear. Corrected example: 这家饭馆的菜，我什么都喜欢吃。 这家饭馆的菜，我什么都喜欢吃。 zhè jiā fànguǎn de cài, wǒ shénme dōu xǐhuan chī. I like all the dishes at this restaurant. 什么 comes before 都 and the predicate 喜欢吃. The restaurant’s dishes supply the relevant range; the sentence does not claim the speaker likes every food in the world. Contrast 我想吃点儿什么 (I want to eat something) with 我什么都喜欢吃 (I like all kinds of food). The first leaves the food unspecified; the second covers the whole relevant range. They are different meanings, not interchangeable word orders. ## Frequently asked questions **Should I use a question mark when using 谁, 什么, or 哪儿 in these patterns?** Use a period for a statement, but a question mark if the whole sentence asks a question. For example, 你什么都喜欢吃吗？ is a yes-no question even though 什么都 expresses broad reference rather than asking “what?”. **Does the negation word (不 or 没) go before or after 都 in Pattern 1?** In the 疑问代词 + 都 pattern for total negation ('nobody', 'nothing', 'nowhere'), Negation (不 or 没) goes after 都: for example, 谁都不去 (no one is going) or 什么都没买 (bought nothing at all). **In the 疑问代词 + 疑问代词 pattern, where does 就 go?** 就 commonly goes in the second clause, after its subject and before the main predicate: 谁先到，谁就先选 or 你想吃什么，我们就买什么. It emphasizes the matching result and can sometimes be omitted when the link is already clear. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 392](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=392) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)