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HSK 2.0 Level 6+ HSK 3.0 Level 7–9+ 6 min read

何至于, 谈何 and 有何 for Formal Rhetorical Questions

Use 何至于, 谈何 and 有何 to ask formal rhetorical questions: “surely it’s not that bad,” “how can you even talk of …,” and “what … is there?”

Pattern

何至于 + result？ / 谈何 + goal / 有何 + noun

何 is a formal word for “what” or “how.” 何至于 and 谈何 ask questions that really make a statement; 有何 can do that too (有何不可) or ask a real formal question (有何建议).

改变一个多年的习惯，谈何容易。

When to use 何至于, 谈何 and 有何 for Formal Rhetorical Questions

何 is the written-style version of 什么 or 怎么. 何至于 means “how could it come to …?” and says that a reaction is too strong: 何至于这么难过 means “surely there’s no need to be this upset.”

一次没考好而已，何至于难过成这样？

It was just one bad test. Surely there’s no need to be this upset?

这两种说法有何不同？

What is the difference between these two ways of saying it?

只是一点小误会，何至于不说话呢？

It was only a small misunderstanding. Why go as far as not speaking to each other?

连自己的房间都收拾不好，谈何管理一个班？

If you can’t even keep your own room tidy, how can you talk about running a class?

Common traps

  • 何至于 is a rhetorical question, not a real question: it means “it shouldn’t come to this.”
  • 谈何容易 means “not easy at all,” not “how easy.”
  • Keep 何 phrases for formal contexts; in chat with friends, use 至于吗 or 有什么.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

你们俩的办法有 不同？

What is the difference between your two methods?
Fill in the missing piece, then press Enter

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