Non-Interrogative Use of Interrogative Pronouns (3)
In Chinese, two identical interrogative pronouns can be used in the first and second clauses of a complex sentence to echo each other and make a general reference. They refer to the exact same person, thing, manner, time, or place. The first clause sets a condition or choice, while the second clause uses the matching question word to express the resulting action or decision. In English, this pattern usually translates to “whatever...”, “whichever...”, “wherever...”, or “however...”.
Grammar Rules
1. Identical Question Words: The question words used in both clauses must be identical (e.g., 什么……就什么……, 哪儿……就哪儿……).
2. Same Subject: If the subjects in both clauses are the same, the subject of the second clause can be omitted.
3. Different Subjects: If the subjects in the two clauses are different, the second subject must be placed before the adverb 就 (jiù) (Subject 2 + 就...).