Questions with "ne"
The particle 呢 can be used to ask reciprocal questions, also known as "bounce back" questions. 呢 can also be used to ask questions such as "what about" or "how about".
The structure is:
Topic + 呢
And it's as simple as that. Say what you want to ask about, then stick 呢 on the end. A very common way to use this is to return a question after being asked it. The classic example is this exchange:
- A: 你 好 吗？
- B: 我 很 好。你呢？
- A: 我 也 很 好。
More 呢 examples (each of these can be translated as a "what about" question):
- 这个东西 呢？
- 你 妈妈 呢？
- 我们 呢？
- 地球 呢？
(Bonus points if you spotted the Michael Jackson reference in the examples).
See also
- Yes - no questions with ma
- Tag questions with ma
- Softening the Tone of Questions with "ne" (advanced article)
Sources and further reading
Books
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 23 - 24) →buy
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 300 - 307) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 87-88) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 102 - 103, 251) →buy
Websites
- East Asia Student: How to use 呢 (ne) in Mandarin
