Asking rhetorical questions
Rhetorical questions are questions where an answer is not really expected. The question is meant to make a point.
The following structures that are used to ask rhetorical questions in Chinese are organized according to our grammar points by level.
B1 Asking rhetorical questions
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Simple rhetorical questions | 不 是…… 吗 ？ | 不 是 说好 了 吗 ？怎么 会 这样 ？ |
B2 Asking rhetorical questions
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced uses of "hai" | Subj. + 还 + Predicate + 呢 | 还 好朋友 呢 ，天天 说 我 坏话 。 |
| Challenging a verb with "shenme" | Verb + 什么 + Obj. | 没有 钱 看 什么 电影。 |
| Expressing "originally" with "benlai" | 本来⋯⋯ | 搬家 本来 就 很 麻烦。 |
| Rhetorical questions with "nandao" | 难道⋯⋯？ | 这 都 是 你 引起 的 ， 难道 你 就 不 内疚 ？ |
C1 Asking rhetorical questions
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| "Could it be that" with "qibushi" | 岂不是 + rhetorical question | 如果 他 要 来， 岂不是 一 件 好 事？ |
| Expressing "could it be possible that" with "mofei" | Subject + 莫非 + rhetorical question | 莫非 你 真的 相信 他？ |
