Non-Interrogative Use of Interrogative Pronouns (2)
Meaning
In Chinese, interrogative pronouns such as 哪 (nǎ), 哪儿 (nǎr), 什么 (shénme), 谁 (shéi), and 怎么 (zěnme) can also be used in non-question sentences.
In this usage, they have a general or unrestricted meaning, referring to any person, thing, place, time, or way.
The adverb 都 (dōu) is often used together with them.
Basic Idea
Interrogative Pronoun + 都 → any / every / wherever / whatever / whenever
For example:
谁都shéi dōueveryone / anyone
什么都shénme dōueverything / anything
哪儿都nǎr dōueverywhere / anywhere
哪个都nǎge dōuany one of them
怎么都zěnme dōuhowever / in any way
Here, the interrogative pronoun does not ask a question.
Examples
哪个菜都好吃
哪个 → which one
都 → any / all
哪个菜都好吃 → Any dish is delicious.
这次旅游，我去哪儿都可以
哪儿 → where
都可以 → anywhere is okay / can go anywhere
This is not asking 去哪儿？ — “Where are you going?” Instead, it means: anywhere is fine.
我下午有时间，你想什么时候来都没问题
什么时候 → when
都没问题 → whenever is fine / no problem
Remember
The key pattern is Interrogative Pronoun + 都. It gives the interrogative pronoun a general or unrestricted meaning.
Compare
你去哪儿？
你去哪儿都可以
Quick Formula
疑问代词 + 都 → unrestricted meaning
谁都shéi dōueveryone / anyone
什么都shénme dōueverything / anything
哪儿都nǎr dōueverywhere / anywhere
哪个都nǎge dōuany one
什么时候都shénme shíhou dōuanytime / whenever