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HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 6 min read

Rhetorical Questions with 难道……吗

Use 难道……吗？ to show surprise or disbelief, as in 难道你不知道吗？ “Surely you know?”

Pattern

难道 + (subject +) statement + 吗？ / subject + 难道 + statement + 吗？

A 难道 question means the opposite of its words: 难道你不知道吗？ = you must know.

难道你不知道明天考试吗？

When to use Rhetorical Questions with 难道……吗

难道……吗？ turns a question into a strong statement of surprise or disbelief. 难道 goes at the very start or right after the subject, and 吗 ends the sentence. The meaning is the opposite of the words: 难道你不知道吗？ means “surely you know”, and 难道他能做完吗？ means “there’s no way he can finish”.

你难道忘了我的生日吗？

Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten my birthday?

难道他一个人能做完这么多工作吗？

How could he possibly finish all this work by himself? (= he can’t)

这么简单的题，难道你不会做吗？

Surely you can do such an easy question?

我们难道就这样放弃吗？

Are we really just going to give up like this?

Common traps

  • Don’t use 难道 for a real question: to ask if he’s coming, say 他来吗？, not 难道他来吗？.
  • End a 难道 question with 吗, not 呢 or 吧: 难道你忘了吗？, not 难道你忘了呢？.
  • Remember the meaning flips: 难道你不累吗？ means “you must be tired”, not “you aren’t tired, are you?”.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

这不是好消息吗？

Is this not good news? Express disbelief at the contrary view
Fill in the missing piece, then press Enter

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