Advanced uses of "hai"

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Aside from its other uses, 还 (hái) can be used to express a surprised or sarcastic tone, and can also be used with rhetorical questions.

Expressing a Tone of Surprise

Structure

Often used with 呢, this sentence structure expresses that the situation as irrational, uncommon, or unexpected.

Subj. + 还 + Predicate (+ 呢)

Examples

  • 这个 小孩 真 聪明 !Zhège xiǎohái hái zhēn cōngming!This kid is brilliant!
  • 留 过 学 ,英语 这么 差 !Hái liú guo xué ne, Yīngyǔ zhème chà!He's even studied abroad, yet his English is so terrible!
  • 都 怪 你 ,你 生气 Dōu guài nǐ, nǐ hái shēngqì ne.It's all your fault, yet you're the one who's mad.

Expressing a Tone of Sarcasm

Structure

It can also be used to express astonishment, dissatisfaction, or sarcasm.

Subj. + 还 + Noun Phrase (+ 呢)

Examples

  • 好朋友 ,天天 说 我 坏话 。Hái hǎo péngyou ne, tiāntiān shuō wǒ huàihuà.What a "good friend"! Talking trash about me every day.
  • 大 老板 ,一点 也 不 大方 。Hái dà lǎobǎn ne, yīdiǎn yě bù dàfang.Some "big boss," not generous in the least.
  • 夸 我 中文 好 ,我 说 的 每 句 中文 你 都 纠正 我。Hái kuā wǒ zhōngwén hǎo ne, wǒ shuō de měi jù zhōngwén nǐ dōu jiūzhèng wǒ.And you say my Chinese is good! Yet you're correcting me on every Chinese sentence I say...

Used in a Rhetorical Question

还 can change a statement into a rhetorical question when used with 吗.

Structure

Subj. + 还 + [Verb Phrase] + 吗 ?

Examples

  • 他 那么 有钱 , 在乎 这 点 钱 Tā nàme yǒu qián, hái zàihu zhè diǎn qián ma?He has so much money, would he really care about this small amount?
  • 这 种 人 你 相信 Zhè zhǒng rén nǐ hái xiāngxìn ma?Would you believe this kind of person?
  • 过期 的 牛奶 你 Guòqī de niúnǎi nǐ háima?Would you drink expired milk?
  • 今天 这么 热,你 出门 Jīntiān zhème rè, nǐ hái chūmén ma?It's so hot today, yet you're going out now?
  • 他 说 的 话,你 Tā shuō de huà, nǐ hái tīng ma?Are you going to listen to what he says?

See also

HSK5