什么是...？
Reach for this when you want to ask 'what is X?' — a definitional question about a word, concept, or category. It's the natural Chinese opener for 'what does X mean?' or 'what counts as X?' Used heavily by learners, kids, teachers, podcast hosts, and anyone introducing a new term. Slightly more formal than tagging a topic at the end of a sentence; 什么是X？ frames the question as 'tell me what this category really is.'
Structure
什么是 [TERM]？
shénme shì...?
How to Think About It
Chinese reverses the English word order: 'what IS X' becomes 'X IS what' when you're asking about a thing's properties (X 是什么？). But when you're asking for a definition of a category — 'what counts as X?' — you front 什么是. The fronting flags 'I want a definition, not a description.' Native speakers feel the difference: 爱情是什么？ ('what is love?', philosophical, introspective) vs 什么是爱情？ ('what is love?', define the term, didactic).
Examples
什么是爱？
Shénme shì ài?
What is love?
什么是HSK考试？
Shénme shì HSK kǎoshì?
What is the HSK test?
什么是好朋友？
Shénme shì hǎo péngyǒu?
What is a good friend?
Common Mistake
Learners drop 是 because English questions can omit 'is' ('what's love?'), or they put 什么 at the end like a yes/no tag. In Chinese, 什么是… requires 是 between 什么 and the term. Skipping 是 turns it into a confused fragment.
什么明星？
什么是明星？
Don't Confuse With
X 是什么？
Same words, flipped — feels like asking for a description or essence ('X is what?'). Use 什么是X？ when introducing a term for definition; use X是什么？ when zooming in on a specific X already on the table.
什么叫...？
'What is called X?' / 'What does X mean?' — focuses on the NAME or LABEL. 什么叫明星 asks 'what counts as a star?'; 什么是明星 asks 'what is a star?' Very close in meaning; 叫 leans toward 'how is the word used.'
...的意思是什么？
Asks specifically for the MEANING of a word or phrase. Use when you've heard a term and want its translation. 什么是X is broader — it asks for a definition or category, not just a gloss.
Practice
___ 是幸福？
Show answer
什么
什么 ___ 自由？
Show answer
是
Put in order: [是 / 什么 / 明星 / ？]
Show answer
什么是明星？
Translate to Chinese: 'What is happiness?'
Show answer
什么是幸福？
Use 什么是 to ask a definitional question about an abstract concept you care about.
Show answer
Example answer: 什么是真正的成功？ (What is real success?)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 什么是...？ in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start, no card.