Please help me in how to understand the word 何...

[Huang Rong]

As far as I know, the word 何 is an interrogative pronoun which is often used in phrases such as: 何人 (who), 何處 (where), 何時 (when), 為何 (why), 如何 (how), etc. but sometimes I find the phrases in which the word 何 goes before adjectives e.g: 盛世修典何煌煌,... this confuses me since I cannot understand the grammar structure and meaning of such sentences.

Could anyone please explain the usage of the word 何 in the sentence 盛世修典何煌煌 for me.

Many thanks in advance.

[<<恒心>>]

Good question! This is where a good classical dictionary or 文言文 study comes in handy since 何 just isn't as freely used as it once was. Your example has classical written all over it...

何 is not only an interogative pronoun with meanings such as 什么, 怎么, and 为什么 as you point out, but it is also an adverb meaning 多么 as well. I'm thinking that your example is along the 怎么/多么 lines, which gives something like "how is it that..." or "how can it be so..." for a translation. Your example might be written as "(现在) 怎么煌煌?” or "(现在) 多么煌煌/明亮?"

That's my two cents~ hope it helps!