5 · Expressions (level 5)
Surely not? The rhetorical nándào
the rhetorical question
Nándào asks a question that already holds its answer — the opposite of what it says.
难道 turns a question into a statement. The speaker does not want information; the answer is already clear, and it is the opposite of what the question says. A negative question asserts something positive: 难道你不知道吗？, “surely you know?” — you must know. A positive question asserts the negative: 这难道是我的错吗？, “is this supposed to be my fault?” — it is not.
难道 can stand before or after the subject. The sentence normally ends in 吗, which may be left out; in speech 不成 sometimes closes it instead. The tone ranges from mild surprise to open reproach, and it is easy to sound reproachful without meaning to.
难道 also voices a genuine suspicion: “could it be that …?”. 他怎么还没来，难道生病了？, “why isn’t he here yet — could he be ill?”. Here the speaker really does not know, but is half afraid of the answer.
The everyday spoken way to the same effect is 不是…吗: 你不是说过吗？, “didn’t you say so?”. It reminds rather than reproaches, and it is the safer choice with people you do not know well.
The form
| surely you know | 难道你不知道吗？ |
| surely not | 这难道是我的错吗？ |
| after the subject | 你难道没听说吗？ |
| without ma | 难道就这样算了？ |
| spoken: bú shì … ma | 你不是说过吗？ |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
难道 turns a question into a statement of the opposite; no answer is expected.
难道你不想回家吗？Surely you want to go home?
A negative question with 难道 asserts something positive, and a positive one asserts the negative.
难道我说错了吗？Was I wrong, then? (I don’t think so.)
难道 stands before or after the subject; 吗 at the end is usual but can be left out.
你难道连这个都不会？You mean you can’t even do this?
It can also voice a real suspicion: could it be that …?
他怎么还没来，难道生病了？Why isn’t he here yet — could he be ill?
The commonest spoken way to the same effect is 不是 … 吗.
你不是喜欢吃辣的吗？Don’t you like spicy food? (I thought you did.)
A closer look
How to answer one, and its relatives
A 难道 question is not answered with a yes or a no. The listener either concedes — 你说得对 — or argues back with a reason. Because it presses an opinion, it can sound like a challenge, and with a teacher, a client or a stranger 不是…吗 is gentler.
Chinese has other rhetorical questions that work the same way. 我哪儿知道, “how would I know?”, means “I don’t know”. 谁不想休息, “who doesn’t want a rest?”, means “everybody does”. And 怎么能…呢 asks “how could you” and means “you shouldn’t”.
How to spot it
- 难道…吗
- 难道…不…吗
- 难道…不成
- 不是…吗
- 难道说
Example sentences
这么大的事，难道你一点儿都不知道吗？Something this big, and you knew nothing about it at all?
难道我们就这样放弃吗？Are we really going to give up just like that?
你难道没有发现他在骗你吗？Haven’t you noticed that he is lying to you?
他一整天不说话，难道有什么心事？He hasn’t said a word all day — could something be on his mind?
父母这么辛苦，难道我们不应该帮帮他们吗？Our parents work so hard — shouldn’t we help them?
难道只有这一个办法不成？Is this really the only way?
7 more example sentences
这难道是我一个人的责任吗？Is this supposed to be my responsibility alone?
你难道忘了我们的约定吗？Have you forgotten what we agreed?
难道学习只是为了考试吗？Is studying really only about passing exams?
门怎么开着，难道有人来过？Why is the door open — has somebody been here?
你不是已经答应了吗？怎么又变了？Didn’t you already agree? Why have you changed your mind?
难道你不觉得这样不公平吗？Don’t you think this is unfair?
都十点了，难道他还在睡觉？It’s ten o’clock — can he really still be asleep?
Worth knowing (1)
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Nándào shuō: could it be that
难道说 opens a suspicion that the speaker hardly dares to say out loud. It is common in storytelling and in speech when a puzzling fact suddenly seems to have an explanation.
难道说他早就知道了？Could it be that he knew all along?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English “are you by any chance …?” is a polite real question, and 难道 looks like a way to make a question more careful. It is the opposite: it signals that the speaker already has an opinion, often disbelief. With 难道 this sentence would mean “don’t tell me you’re Teacher Wang!”. A polite question uses plain 吗.
Nándào asks a question that already holds its answer — the opposite of what it says.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.