<p><strong>什么什么</strong> can be used as a <strong>filler like "blabla"</strong>. In Japanese the pedant is used (何). Good translations would be "and so on" or "blabla", imo.</p>

<p>Example, when trying to explain how "As soon as" works in Chinese:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"他一什么什么，他就做什么什么。。。"</p>
</blockquote>

<p>--> This is the generic version of the usage of "as soon as".</p>

<p>I would translate this with </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"As soon as he [...], he makes/does [...]" </p>
</blockquote>

<p>whereas the [...] is filled by 什么什么 and in English this could be "blablabla": </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"As soon as he blablabla, he makes/does blablabla".</p>
</blockquote>

<p><em>Source</em>: My own experience as a non native speaker and my wife (who is a native speaker and whom I am going to ask today evening to confirm my answer)</p>

<p><strong>EDIT:</strong> I asked her, she can confirm my answer. But there also is another usage of repeated 什么:
Your question refers to "那什么什么" - which is used as a substitution, in  case you forget a word during a conversation. So instead of saying the name of the thing you use "那什么什么". </p>

<p>Interestingly, a similar concept exists for persons/names. If you forgot a person's name or do not want to use the name the substitute "那谁" would be used.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-10T06:22:06.520Z
2019-08-15T14:07:42.007Z
2019-08-15T14:07:42.007Z
metters
<p>I'd sometimes use it is as a placeholder for something I want to refer to, especially if the thing is a bit of a mouthful, and I can't remember what it is.</p>

<p>A: 就好像刚才说的那什么什么，这里不就挺适用了吗？<br>
A: That "thing" that we talked about just now, wouldn't it be great for this?</p>

<p>B: 你是说超级武器霸王 要你命3000？<br>
B: You mean watermelon knife?</p>

<p>A: 啊对对对就是那个。<br>
A: Ah yeah yeah yeah that's it.</p>

<p>Granted, this may not be a common usage.</p>

<p>Note: Sometimes I‘d use 谁谁谁 as placeholder when referring someone too if I can't quite remember the person's name. 那谁谁谁。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-09T12:49:40.450Z
2019-07-09T12:49:40.450Z
Chan MT
<p>This is to express the tone of <strong>emphasis</strong>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-16T12:46:12.853Z
2019-08-20T05:48:17.530Z
2019-08-20T05:48:17.530Z
sypicky
<p>那什么什么 sounds like the speaker indicates that there are more things coming up or it can not be described by only one sentence or word.</p>

<p>For example, 那什么什么的: like ～~. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-02T10:42:11.330Z
2019-07-02T10:42:11.330Z
dan
<p>"那什么" is just a filler word, like "you know", "I mean", etc. It just makes a pause in a sentence so that you can have time to think and organize your words. It doesn't really have any meanings. And you can make the pause longer by repeating "什么". </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-01T23:00:19.303Z
2019-07-01T23:00:19.303Z
SpencerYD
<p>I have found it to be a filler word, almost like people using "这个, 这个, 这个..." when speaking or "那个, 那个, 那个..." Or an English example would be the stereotypical Canadian , "EH!?" (which we do say). There really isn't any direct or formal meaning, if there is it is purely contextually based. But from my experience 99.9% of the time it is just a filler word.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-02T15:37:46.987Z
2019-07-02T15:37:46.987Z
J Crosby
<p>Like any other words, the <strong>什么</strong> has more then one meanings, and those meanings can interact with each other, and the meaning of <strong>什么什么</strong> depends on the meanings of each <strong>什么</strong>.</p>

<p>So it's not a good idea to talk about it without context, for your case, I'm curious if there is any punctuation? like:</p>

<ul>
<li>那什么什么……</li>
<li>那什么什么？</li>
<li>那什么什么！</li>
</ul>

<p>If there isn't any, just forget about it, it's just meaningless like <strong>an x without equation in algebra</strong>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-10T11:57:43.520Z
2019-07-10T11:57:43.520Z
Windsting
<p>I think this means "stuff", just like that in British English.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-18T09:17:47.823Z
I know British love to use "stuff" to means a substance, material, group of objects, etc. when you do not know or forget the name or when it is obvious what you are talking about.  I know this from the EastEnders.
Yeoi
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-18T09:14:01.117Z
2019-08-18T09:14:01.117Z
Yeoi
<p>I'm genuinely confused about this. Does repeated "什么" have special meaning? Or are they just wordplay?</p>

<p>I've read something like this "那什么什么" but I can't comprehend it at all. I tried looking for similar phrases and found them to be even more incomprehensible. </p>

<p>There was no context to this "那什么什么" I read, hence my confusion.</p>

<meaning><word><phrase><phrase-meaning>
Meaning of repeated "什么"
# Meaning of repeated "什么"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-07-01)

I'm genuinely confused about this. Does repeated "什么" have special meaning? Or are they just wordplay?

I've read something like this "那什么什么" but I can't comprehend it at all. I tried looking for similar phrases and found them to be even more incomprehensible.

There was no context to this "那什么什么" I read, hence my confusion.

**Tags:** meaning, word, phrase, phrase-meaning


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## 8 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-07-10. Score: 5

**什么什么** can be used as a **filler like "blabla"**. In Japanese the peusername_4t is used (何). Good translations would be "and so on" or "blabla", imo.

Example, when trying to explain how "As soon as" works in Chinese:

> "他一什么什么，他就做什么什么。。。"

--> This is the generic version of the usage of "as soon as".

I would translate this with

> "As soon as he [...], he makes/does [...]"

whereas the [...] is filled by 什么什么 and in English this could be "blablabla":

> "As soon as he blablabla, he makes/does blablabla".

*Source*: My own experience as a non native speaker and my wife (who is a native speaker and whom I am going to ask today evening to confirm my answer)

**EDIT:** I asked her, she can confirm my answer. But there also is another usage of repeated 什么:
Your question refers to "那什么什么" - which is used as a substitution, in case you forget a word during a conversation. So instead of saying the name of the thing you use "那什么什么".

Interestingly, a similar concept exists for persons/names. If you forgot a person's name or do not want to use the name the substitute "那谁" would be used.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-07-09. Score: 2

I'd sometimes use it is as a placeholder for something I want to refer to, especially if the thing is a bit of a mouthful, and I can't remember what it is.

A: 就好像刚才说的那什么什么，这里不就挺适用了吗？  
A: That "thing" that we talked about just now, wouldn't it be great for this?

B: 你是说超级武器霸王 要你命3000？  
B: You mean watermelon knife?

A: 啊对对对就是那个。  
A: Ah yeah yeah yeah that's it.

Granted, this may not be a common usage.

Note: Sometimes I‘d use 谁谁谁 as placeholder when referring someone too if I can't quite remember the person's name. 那谁谁谁。


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### Answer by username_3 on 2019-08-16. Score: 1

This is to express the tone of **emphasis**.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2019-07-02. Score: 0

那什么什么 sounds like the speaker indicates that there are more things coming up or it can not be described by only one sentence or word.

For example, 那什么什么的: like ～~.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2019-07-01. Score: 0

"那什么" is just a filler word, like "you know", "I mean", etc. It just makes a pause in a sentence so that you can have time to think and organize your words. It doesn't really have any meanings. And you can make the pause longer by repeating "什么".


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2019-07-02. Score: 0

I have found it to be a filler word, almost like people using "这个, 这个, 这个..." when speaking or "那个, 那个, 那个..." Or an English example would be the stereotypical Canadian , "EH!?" (which we do say). There really isn't any direct or formal meaning, if there is it is purely contextually based. But from my experience 99.9% of the time it is just a filler word.


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### Answer by username_7 on 2019-07-10. Score: 0

Like any other words, the **什么** has more then one meanings, and those meanings can interact with each other, and the meaning of **什么什么** depends on the meanings of each **什么**.

So it's not a good idea to talk about it without context, for your case, I'm curious if there is any punctuation? like:

* 那什么什么……
* 那什么什么？
* 那什么什么！

If there isn't any, just forget about it, it's just meaningless like **an x without equation in algebra**.


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### Answer by username_8 on 2019-08-18. Score: -1

I think this means "stuff", just like that in British English.

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: I know British love to use "stuff" to means a substance, material, group of objects, etc. when you do not know or forget the name or when it is obvious what you are talking about.  I know this from the EastEnders.  

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