ABSTRACT
This is a very colloquial phrase. The complete phrase should be Zlnme yc huí shì? (lit. ‘How one thing?’ – huí is another measure word for matters). This phrase is usually used if something has gone
wrong and you want to find out about it. It means ‘What’s the matter?’, ‘What’s the problem?’ or ‘What happened?’ The word shì, which is a different word from shì (be), is a general term used to refer to abstract things. For example:
Wn míngtian ynu shì. I’ve got things to do tomorrow.
