shéi
who?
你是谁？
nǐ shì shéi?
Who are you?
他是谁？
tā shì shéi?
Who is he?
她是谁？
tā shì shéi?
Who is she?
哪个 (nǎ ge)
which
谁人 (shéi rén)
who
何人 (hé rén)
who
他 (tā)
he
她 (tā)
she
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The Chinese character 谁 (shuí) is composed of two parts: the radical 亻(rén), which indicates a person, and the phonetic component 兑 (duì). The original meaning of 兑 is "to exchange", and it is also used in the sense of "to guess" or "to ask". The combination of these two components suggests the idea of "a person who asks" or "a person who guesses".In ancient Chinese, 谁 was used as a pronoun meaning "who" or "which". It could also be used as an interrogative pronoun, meaning "who is it?" or "what is it?". In modern Chinese, 谁 is still used as a pronoun and an interrogative pronoun, but it is also used as a relative pronoun, meaning "whoever" or "whichever".The character 谁 has a long history, and it has been used in Chinese writing for over 3,000 years. It is one of the most common characters in the Chinese language, and it is used in a wide variety of contexts.
