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. 23-4) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 137) →buy
• Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 300-7) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 87-8) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 102-3, 251) →buy

Websites

• East Asia Student: How to use 呢 (ne) in Mandarin