Rhetorical questions: 难道…吗, 不是…吗, 怎么能…呢
Questions that are really strong statements: 难道你不知道吗？ means 'Surely you know!'
Part of the free B1 Chinese course (about HSK 4). Examples are in Simplified characters, with pinyin only for some new or hard words; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
A question that makes a statement
A rhetorical question looks like a question but expects no answer: it states something forcefully. English does this too: Who cares? means "nobody cares". Chinese uses it far more, in everyday talk, to show surprise, disagreement or a gentle telling-off.
The key rule: the real meaning is the opposite of the words. A negative rhetorical question makes a positive statement, and a positive one makes a negative statement.
| Pattern | Literally | Really means |
|---|---|---|
| 难道你不知道吗？ | Can it be that you don't know? | Surely you know! |
| 你不是去过吗？ | Haven't you been? | You have been (I'm reminding you). |
| 你怎么能这样做呢？ | How can you do this? | You shouldn't do this. |
| 我哪儿知道啊？ | Where would I know from? | I've no idea. |
| 谁不想休息啊？ | Who doesn't want a rest? | Everyone wants a rest. |
难道 (nándào) … 吗
难道 means roughly "don't tell me that…", "surely not…". It goes at the start of the sentence or just after the subject, and the sentence ends with 吗.
- 难道你不认识他吗？Don't tell me you don't know him! (You must know him.)
- 难道这是我的错吗？Is this supposed to be my fault? (It isn't.)
不是 … 吗: reminding
不是…吗 reminds the listener of something both of you know, often because what is happening doesn't match it.
- 你不是去过上海吗？Haven't you been to Shanghai? (I thought you had.)
- 他不是你的朋友吗？Isn't he your friend? (He is, so why…?)
怎么能 … 呢 and 哪儿 … 啊
怎么能…呢 ("how can…?") says something shouldn't happen. 哪儿/哪里…啊 ("where…?") denies: 我哪儿有钱啊 = "I have no money at all". Because these already contain a question word, they end in 呢 or 啊, never 吗 (see Question words: 什么, 谁, 哪儿, 几, 多少, 怎么).
- 你怎么能不告诉我呢？How could you not tell me?
- 我哪儿知道啊？How would I know?
- 这么简单的问题，谁不会啊？Such an easy question: who can't do it? (Anyone can.)
Answer the meaning, not the words. If someone says 难道你不饿吗？, they think you are hungry: reply 饿啊 or 不饿, according to the truth.
Common mistakes
难道你不知道。→ 难道你不知道吗？ A 难道 sentence is a question: it ends with 吗 and a question mark.你怎么能这样说吗？→ 你怎么能这样说呢？ 怎么 already makes the question, so 吗 is wrong here; use 呢 (or 啊).- Reading 难道你不喜欢吗？ as a real question "Don't you like it?". It means "Surely you like it!"
你不是说过吗。→ 你不是说过吗？ Rhetorical or not, 不是…吗 keeps its question mark.
Practice
- What does 难道你没听说吗？ really mean?Options: Surely you've heard about it. · You really haven't heard about it. · Have you heard about it or not?
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Surely you've heard about it. — 难道 + a negative = a strong positive: the speaker is sure you've heard.
- _____你不想回家吗？Options: 难道 · 怎么能 · 哪儿
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难道 — 难道…吗 makes a rhetorical yes/no question. 怎么能 and 哪儿 are question words and don't take 吗.
- 你_____喜欢吃辣的吗？怎么一口都不吃？
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不是 — 不是…吗 reminds someone of something you both know.
- 你怎么能这么晚才来_____？Options: 呢 · 吗 · 了
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呢 — 怎么能…呢: a question word takes 呢 (or 啊), not 吗. 才 doesn't combine with 了 here.