View source for 咩

{{also|羋|哶}}
{{character info}}
==Translingual==

===Han character===
{{Han char|rn=30|rad=口|as=06|sn=9|four=68051|canj=RTQ|ids=⿰口羊}}

====References====
{{Han ref|kx=0186.130|dkj=03540|dj=0405.340|hdz=10622.050|uh=54A9}}

==Chinese==

===Etymology 1===
{{zh-forms|alt=羋,𠴟,哶}}
{{onomatopoeic|zh}}.

====Pronunciation====
{{zh-pron
|m=miē
|c=me1
|mn=xm,qz:me/qz,tw:meh/qz:me̍h/xm:mia
|mn_note=Xiamen: me - vernacular; mia - literary
|mn-t=mêh8/mêh4
|ca=LL-Q9186-Justinrleung-咩.wav
|cat=intj
}}

====Definitions====
{{head|zh|hanzi}}

# [[baa]]! {{gloss|the bleating of a sheep}}
#: {{zh-x|可以 給 @^東東 買 個{gè} 冰淇淋 咩？|Could you buy Dong-dong an ice cream, '''mie'''?|ref={{lw|zh|蛋仔派對}}}}

====Compounds====
{{col3|zh|羊咩}}

===Etymology 2===
{{zh-forms}}
Contraction of {{zh-l|乜嘢}}.

====Pronunciation====
{{zh-pron
|c=me1
|ca=LL-Q9186-Justinrleung-咩.wav
|cat=pron
}}

====Definitions====
{{head|zh|hanzi}} {{tlb|zh|Cantonese}}

# [[what]]
#: {{zh-x|你 叫 咩 名{meng4-2} 呀？|What's your name?|C}}
#: {{zh-x|欸{e1}！喺度 諗 緊 咩 呀？|Hey, so '''what''' are you thinking about?|C|ref={{lw|zh|陳慧嫻}}, {{lw|zh|紅茶館_(歌曲)|紅茶館}}}}
#: {{zh-x|咩 呀？|'''What''' do you want?/'''What''' is it?|C}}
#: {{zh-x|美國 餐 有 咩 好食 啫。|What's so good about American food anyway?|C}}
#: {{zh-x|冇 咩 好睇|not worth seeing|C}}
#: {{zh-x|冇癮\冇 咩 冇癮\癮|uninteresting|C}}
# [[which]]
# [[why]]; [[how come]]
# {{n-g|Used as a dummy subject or object when it can be deduced from context.}}

=====Synonyms=====
{{zh-dial|什麼}}
{{zh-dial|為什麼}}

===Etymology 3===
{{zh-forms}}

There are at least two proposals:
* From {{zh-l|唔|m4|not}} + {{zh-l|呢|ni1|interrogative particle}} > ''mi1'' > ''me1'' ({{zh-ref|Yiu, 2021}}).
* From etymology 2 “what” ({{zh-ref|Chor and Lam, 2023}}).

====Pronunciation====
{{zh-pron
|c=me1
|ca=LL-Q9186-Justinrleung-咩.wav
|cat=part
}}

====Definitions====
{{head|zh|hanzi}}

# {{lb|zh|Cantonese|obsolete}} {{n-g|A sentence-final [[particle]] used to make unbiased yes/no questions.}}
#* {{zh-x|佢 係 即刻{hak1} 答 你 咩|Did he tell you immediately?|C|ref='''1874''', Nicholas B. Dennys, ''A Handbook of the Canton Vernacular of the Chinese Language'', page 113}}
# {{lb|zh|Cantonese}} {{n-g|A sentence-final [[particle]] used to make yes/no questions, often with a doubtful or surprising tone.}}
#: {{zh-x|你 一陣 出街 咩？冇 聽 你 講 過 嘅{ge2}。|You're going out later? I didn't hear you mention that.|C}}
# {{lb|zh|Cantonese}} {{n-g|A sentence-final [[particle]] used in yes/no rhetorical questions to express negation.}}
#: {{zh-x|咁 多 功課，咁 快 做 得 完 咩？|There's so much homework. Can it be done that quickly?|C}}
#* {{zh-x|若 論{leon6} 死者 復{fuk6}生{sang1}、你 未 讀 過 摩西 荆棘 篇 所 載{zoi3} 咩、卽[即]係 眞神 對 摩西 話、我 係 亞伯拉{laai1}罕 嘅 神、以撒 嘅 神、雅{ngaa5}各 嘅 神。|And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?|C|ref='''1872''', {{lang|zh|《馬可傳福音書（廣東土白）》}} (The Gospel of Mark: Cantonese Vernacular) [http://database.shss.ust.hk/5dialects/pg/40065542.png 12:26]}}

=====Descendants=====
* {{desc|en|meh#Etymology 2|bor=1}}

===Etymology 4===
{{zh-forms|alt=嗎,乜,麽,否,𱑿}}
{{rfe|zh}}

====Pronunciation====
{{zh-pron
|mn-t=mê7/mê6/mêh4
|mn-t_note=mêh4 - appears in Dean, tone unspecified <!--same as 咩 "bleat" i guess?-->
|cat=part
}}

====Definitions====
{{head|zh|hanzi}}

# {{n-g|A sentence-final [[particle]] used to make unbiased yes/no questions.}}
#* {{zh-x|只\此 筆 是 汝\爾 個\箇 '''@麽'''|tr=zi2 big4 si6 le2 gai5 '''mêh4'''|Is this your pencil|MN-T|ref='''1841''', [[w:Author:William Dean|William Dean]], <i>[[s:First Lessons in the Tie-chiw Dialect|First Lessons in the Tie-chiw Dialect]]</i>, &ldquo;[[s:First Lessons in the Tie-chiw Dialect/Words and Phrases|Words and Phrases]]&rdquo;}}
#* {{zh-x|有 在 '''@嗎'''？|tr=u6 do6 '''mê7'''?|Was it there?|MN-T|ref='''1883''', [[w:Author:Adele Marion Fielde|Adele Marion Fielde]], <i>[[s:Dictionary of the Swatow dialect|Dictionary of the Swatow dialect]]</i>}}
#* {{zh-x|暝昏 豈 會得 到，咩？|tr=mê5 heng1 ka2 oi6 dig4 gao3, '''mê7'''?|Can I get there by evening?|MN-T|ref='''1884''', [[w:Author:William Ashmore|William Ashmore]], <i>[[s:Primary Lessons in Swatow Grammar|Primary Lessons in Swatow Grammar]]</i>}}
#* {{zh-x|伊 敢 去 '''@否'''？|tr=i1 gan2 khe3 '''mê7'''?|Does he dare to go?|MN-T|ref='''1886''', [[w:Author:Lim Hiong Seng|Lim Hiong Seng]], <i>[[s:Handbook of the Swatow Vernacular|Handbook of the Swatow Vernacular]]</i>}}
#* {{zh-x|汝\爾 聽 我 會 見 '''@否'''？|tr=le2 tian1 ua2 oi5 gin3 '''mê7'''?|Can you hear me?|MN-T|ref='''1886''', [[w:Author:Lim Hiong Seng|Lim Hiong Seng]], <i>[[s:Handbook of the Swatow Vernacular|Handbook of the Swatow Vernacular]]</i>}}
#* {{zh-x|你 知 '''@𱑿'''？|tr=le2 zai1 '''mê7'''?|Do you know?|MN-T|ref='''1959''', {{lang|zh|李永明}}, {{lang|zh|潮州方言}}, Beijing: {{lang|zh|中華書局}}, page 259}}

====Further reading====
* {{cite-journal|year=2020|author=zh:張靜芬|title=zh:《汕頭話讀本》中的兩類中性問句的句末標記|journal={{lang|zh|清華學報}}|doi=10.6503/THJCS.2015.45(3).05}}

{{attention|nan-tws|add information on modern Teochew + etymology from 張靜芬}}

==Japanese==

===Kanji===
{{ja-kanji|grade=|rs=口06}}

# {{rfdef|ja|sort=口06}}

====Readings====
* {{ja-readings|on=び, み|kun=}}

==Korean==

===Hanja===
{{ko-hanja|hangeul=미|rv=mi|mr=mi}}

# {{rfdef|ko|sort=口06}}

==Vietnamese==

===Han character===
{{vi-readings|rs=口06|reading=mã, me}}

# {{rfdef|vi|sort=口06}}

====References====
* [http://nomfoundation.org/common/nom_details.php?codepoint=54A9 Nom Foundation]