孰 (shú) - Who & which
孰 · shú
Who;
which;
what;
interrogative pronoun used in classical Chinese, equivalent to modern 谁 or 什么.
Whowhichwhat
Usage highlights
Who is itWhich is betterWho knowsWho canWhat is the reasonWhich one
Usage & contexts
Examples
- Who is it?(孰为汝多知乎?)
- Which one is better?(孰优孰劣?)
- What is the reason?(孰知其故?)
- Who can do this?(孰能为之?)
Collocations
- Who is it(孰为)
- Which is better(孰优孰劣)
- Who knows(孰知)
- Who can(孰能)
- What is the reason(孰故)
- Which one(孰与)
Idioms
- People who are not my kind will surely have different hearts(非我族类，其心必异)
- Which is better and which is worse(孰优孰劣)
- Who is right and who is wrong(孰是孰非)
Cultural background
FAQ- Primarily used in classical Chinese texts and formal writing
- Commonly appears in Confucian classics and historical documents
- Represents the formal interrogative form in literary Chinese
- Often used in philosophical debates and rhetorical questions