Difference between revisions of "Rhetorical questions with "nandao""
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| − | <li class="x"> <em>难道</em> 我 应该 给 你 多少 钱？</li> | + | <li class="x"> <em>难道</em> 我 应该 给 你 多少 钱？<span class="expl">(Not a 吗 question)</span><span class="trans">How much money should I give you?</span></li> |
| − | <li class="x"> <em>难道</em>我们 还 要 遭受 多少 年 的 压迫？</li> | + | <li class="x"> <em>难道</em>我们 还 要 遭受 多少 年 的 压迫？<span class="expl">(Not a 吗 question)</span><span class="trans">How many more years of oppression must we suffer through?</span></li> |
</ul> | </ul> | ||
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Revision as of 04:05, 29 July 2014
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Keywords
Rhetorical questions use the form of a question to emphasize a point, and as such the question does not require an answer. A typical English rhetorical question might be: "you're not saying you actually believe him, are you?" or "just how stupid are you?" In Chinese, 难道 (nándào) is used as a marker to form this kind of question.
Structure
难道 + [rhetorical question]
Examples
- 难道 你 真的 相信 他 吗？ You're not telling me you actually believe him?
- 难道 你 是 我 妈妈 吗？ What are you, my mother or something?
- 今天 是 我 的 生日，难道 你 不 知道 吗？ Today's my birthday; you're telling me you didn't know?
- 难道 跟 我 一起 走 一辈子 不 浪漫 吗？So spending the rest of our lives together isn't romantic enough for you?
Note that 难道 can only be used for rhetorical questions which could be answered with yes or no, and generally end with 吗.
- 难道 我 应该 给 你 多少 钱？(Not a 吗 question)How much money should I give you?
- 难道我们 还 要 遭受 多少 年 的 压迫？(Not a 吗 question)How many more years of oppression must we suffer through?
See Also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 2 (博雅汉语初经起步篇) (pp. 132-3)→buy
- Boya Chinese Upper Intermediate 1 (博雅汉语中级冲刺篇) (pp. 91-2)→buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 120) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 83) →buy
