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    Chinese Grammar

    Forming rhetorical questions with 难道 (nándào)

    HSK 4
    Emphasis
    Questions

    Structure

    难道 + Subject + Verb/Adjective + 吗？

    Explanation

    难道 (nándào) is used to form rhetorical questions, expressing disbelief or challenging an assumption. It is placed before the main verb or adjective to turn a statement into a question that expects no real answer, similar to "could it be that…?" or "don't tell me…" in English. The sentence often ends with 吗 (ma) to complete the rhetorical tone.

    Examples

    • 难道你不觉得这样做不对吗？

      Nándào nǐ bù juéde zhèyàng zuò bú duì ma?

      Don't you think doing it this way is wrong?

    • 他都道歉了，难道你还不原谅他吗？

      Tā dōu dàoqiàn le, nándào nǐ hái bù yuánliàng tā ma?

      He already apologized — are you still not going to forgive him?

    • 外面下这么大的雨，难道你还要出去吗？

      Wàimiàn xià zhème dà de yǔ, nándào nǐ hái yào chūqù ma?

      It's raining so hard outside — are you really still going out?

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    Forming rhetorical questions with 难道 (nándào) | Chinese Grammar