Advanced uses of "hai"

Revision as of 09:08, 18 January 2021 by Malihua (talk | contribs) (→‎Examples)

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..You also complimented me on my good Chinese, and you corrected me on every Chinese sentence I said.

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