反问句
HSK 4- Questions
Structure (结构 jiégòu)
Meaning (意思 yìsi)
A rhetorical question is used to emphasize a point or emotion rather than to genuinely seek an answer.
Explanation (解释 jiěshì)
A rhetorical question (反问句) uses an interrogative form but is in fact used to affirm a point. The speaker already knows the answer and merely wants to emphasize their view. The meaning of the sentence is typically the opposite of its literal wording.
For example, 你不是学生吗？ (Aren't you a student?) actually means you are clearly a student. Similarly, 我怎么知道呢？ (How would I know?) means I don't know.
Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)
- 你不是说今天休息吗？繁: 你不是說今天休息嗎？Nǐ bú shì shuō jīntiān xiūxi ma?
Didn't you say you were taking the day off today?
- 这么简单，难道你不会吗？繁: 這麼簡單，難道你不會嗎？Zhème jiǎndān, nándào nǐ bú huì ma?
It's this simple, surely you know how to do it?
- 你怎么能骗我呢？繁: 你怎麼能騙我呢？Nǐ zěnme néng piàn wǒ ne?
How could you deceive me like that?
- 我哪儿有钱买车？繁: 我哪兒有錢買車？Wǒ nǎr yǒu qián mǎi chē?
How would I have the money to buy a car?
- 除了他，还有谁会来？繁: 除了他，還有誰會來？Chúle tā, hái yǒu shéi huì lái?
Besides him, who else will come?
Common mistakes
- Wrong:你不是已经知道了。Correct:你不是已经知道了吗？
Omitting the particle 吗 at the end of the sentence turns a rhetorical question into an ordinary negative statement.
- Wrong:难道他是学生。Correct:难道他是学生吗？
The adverb 难道 must be used in interrogative sentences, typically ending with 吗, to express surprise or emphasis.