American Journal Of Philological Sciences
12
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue08 2025
PAGE NO.
12-17
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue08-03
Peculiarities of Expressing Rhetorical Questions in
Chinese Through Adverbs
Matkarimova Nargiz Muxamataminovna
Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, 2nd-year basic doctoral student, Uzbekistan
Received:
13 June 2025;
Accepted:
09 July 2025;
Published:
11 August 2025
Abstract:
This article analyzes the ways in which adverbs in the Chinese language are expressed in sentences and
explains how this can help distinguish between words that are related to rhetoric and those that are not.
Keywords
:
不
bù
–
“no, not”,
就
jiù
–
“immediately”, “only”, “already”, “as soon as”,
难道
nándào
–
“could it be
that…?”,
何
hé
–
“who?”,
岂
qǐ –
“how could…?”, “could it be that…?”,
还
hái
–
“still”, “yet”,
又
yòu
–
“again”
.
Introduction:
The main adverbs belonging to the
adverb category in Chinese are
不
bù
–
“no, not”,
就
jiù
–
“immediately”, “only”, “already”, “as soon as”,
难道
nándào
–
“could it be that…?”,
何
hé
–
“who?”,
岂
qǐ –
“how could…?”, “could it be that…?”,
还
hái
–
“still”,
“yet”,
又
yòu
–
“again”. These adverbs serve to convey
slight emphasis or meanings close to proof in
sentences. All interrogative sentences expressed with
these adverbs can be considered rhetorical questions.
This is very helpful in distinguishing between words
that are relevant to rhetoric and those that are not.
On the adverb
不
bù “no, not”
In addition to being used independently,
不
bù can also
appear in forms such as
不是
bùshì,
不也是
bù yěshì,
不都是
bù dōu shì,
不就是
bù jiùshì, etc. Among these,
rhetorical questions expressed with
不是
bùshì are
more frequent, and in ordinary cases they are often
accompanied by the interrogative particle
吗
ma
(“…right?”, “isn’t it?”). Moreover, the construction
不
bù (
也
/
都
/
就
yě / dōu / jiù)
是
…
吗
shì…ma? (“isn’t
it…?”) also occurs.
Examples:
1.
北京
现在条件这么好，你再不好好学习对得
起谁？
Běijīng xiànzài tiáojiàn zhème hǎo, nǐ zài bù hǎo hào
xuéxí duìdéqǐ s
héi?
—
The conditions in Beijing are so good now; if you still
don’t study well, what kind of person does that make
you?
2.
别折腾了，你现在不是很好吗？
Bié zhēteng le, nǐ xiànzài bùshì hěn hǎo ma?
—
Stop fussing, aren’t you doing just fine now?
3.
凭着崇高的理想，豪
迈的气概，乐观的志趣
，克
服困
难不也是一种享受吗？
Píngzhe chónggāo de lǐxiǎng, háomài de qìgài, lèguān
de zhìqù, kèfú kùnnán bù yěshì yī zhǒng xiǎngshòu ma?
—
With lofty ideals, heroic spirit, and an optimistic
outlook, isn’t overcoming difficulties also a kind of
enjoyment?
4.
不
论德国还是中国，欧洲还是亚
洲，法
兰克
福、科隆、柏林，还是北京、大连、乌鲁木齐，不
都是在同一个地球上吗？
Bùlùn Déguó háishì Zhōngguó, Ōuzhōu háishì Yàzhōu,
Fǎlánkèfú, Kēlóng, Bólín, háishì Běijīng, Dàlián,
Wūlǔmùqí, bù dōu shì zài tóng yīgè dìqiú shàng ma?
—
Whether it’s Germany or China, Europe or Asia,
Frankfurt, Cologne, Berlin, Beijing, Dalian, or Urumqi
—
aren’t they all on the same planet?
In fact,
不也是
bù yěshì,
不都是
bù dōu shì, and
不就
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
13
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
是
bù jiùshì are all extended forms of
不是
bùshì. The
adverbs
也
yě “also”,
都
dōu “all”, and
就
jiù “precisely,
immediately” are inserted between
不
bù “no, not” and
是
shì “is/are”. These adverbs can also be omitted, but
once omitted, the rhetorical force of the sentence
weakens.
The table below shows the possible combinations of
不
bù with adverbs:
Structure
Expressed
Semantic
Meaning
Example
Translati
on
不也是
…
吗
bù
yěshì…ma
Emphatic
form
有人说，书本上的文艺作品，古代的和外国的文艺作品，不也是源泉
吗？
Yǒurén shuō, shūběn shàng de wényì zuòpǐn, gǔdài de hé wàiguó de
wényì zuòpǐn, bù yěshì yuánquán ma?
Someone
once said,
aren’t
literary
works in
books—
both
ancient
and
foreign—
also
sources?
不都是
…
吗
bù dōu
shì…ma
Generalizi
ng form
…
人家的孩子这样，咱们的孩子那样，孩子不都是将来的国民吗？
…ré
njiā de háizi zhèyàng, zánmen de háizi nàyàng, háizi bù dōu shì jiānglái de
guómín ma?
…Other
people’s
children
are like
this, ours
are like
that—
aren’t all
children
the future
citizens?
不就是
…
吗
bù
jiùshì…ma
Affirmativ
e form
不就是没给他送礼吗？
Bù jiùshì méi gěi tā sònglǐ ma?
Isn’t it
simply
that you
didn’t give
him a gift?
On the Adverb
就
jiù (“immediately, in that case”)
The adverbial form
就
jiù (
“immediately,” “in that
case”) is not used independently or in isolation; rather,
it is combined with other adverbs, interrogative
pronouns, question-particle words, or verbs.
For example:
1.
“
我哪回不是掉完眼泪，就拼命去干活儿？
”
Wǒ nǎ huí bùshì diào wán yǎnlèi, jiù pīnmìn
g qù gàn
huó er?
—
When have I ever, even after shedding tears, not
immediately thrown myself into work with all my
might?
2.
“
你怎么就光
顾着你自己那点小利呢？
”
Nǐ zěnme jiù guānggùzhe nǐ zìjǐ nà diǎn xiǎo lì ne?
—
How can you immediately complain about such a
small profit for yourself?
3.
“
考不上大学就没有前途
吗？
”
Kǎo bù shàng dàxué jiù méiyǒu qiántú ma?
—
If you fail to enter university, does that mean your
future is ruined?
On the Adverb
难道
nándào (“could it be that”)
This adverb is typically used in rhetorical questions.
However, not every sentence containing
难道
nándào
can be considered rhetorical. For example:
a) “
难道你们闹矛盾了？
”
Nándào nǐmen nào máodùn le?
—
Could it be that you had a conflict?
(Here, there is no definite judgment; depending on
context, the adverb may appear in rhetorical or
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
ordinary interrogatives.)
In rhetorical contexts, sentences with
难道
nándào
usually end with the particle
吗
ma or other question-
marking words.
For example:
b) “
难道你就只觉得它是树？难道你就不想到它的
朴质，严肃，堅強不
屈，至少也象征了北方的
农民
？
”
Nándào nǐ jiù zhǐ juédé tā shì shù? Nándào nǐ jiù bù
xiǎngdào tā de púzhí, yánsù, jiānqiáng bùqū, zhìshǎo yě
xiàngzhēng le běifāng de nóngmín?
—
Could it be that you only think it is a tree? Could it
be that you do not think about its simplicity, solemnity,
resilience, and at least its symbolism of the northern
farmer?
c) “
你
说我痴人说梦，一个人难道就不能有自己的
梦想吗
?”
Nǐ shuō wǒ chīrénshuōmèng, yīgè rén nándào jiù
bùnéng yǒu zìjǐ de mèngxiǎng ma?
—
You say I am talking nonsense
—
could it be that a
person cannot have their own dreams?
d) “
难道能否认培养接班人不是我们的责任吗？
”
Nándào néng fǒurèn péiyǎng jiēbānrén bùshì wǒmen
de zérèn ma?
—
Could it be denied that training successors is not our
responsibility?
e) “
中国人
难道就不能创出自己的名牌鞋，让国人
和外国人都爱不释手吗？
”
Zhōngguórén nándào jiù bùnéng chuàng
chū zìjǐ de
míngpái xié, ràng guórén hé wàiguórén dōu ài bù shì
shǒu ma?
—
Could it be that Chinese people cannot create their
own famous-brand shoes, ones that both locals and
foreigners would cherish?
From the above examples, we can see that in Chinese
rhetorical questions, the use or omission of
难道
nándào does not play a decisive role; it simply softens
the rhetorical tone. It may be placed before the subject
(emphasizing the subject) or before the predicate
(emphasizing the predicate), without changing the
fundamental meaning
—
though there is a subtle
pragmatic shift.
On the Adverb
何
hé (“what? when? how?”)
This adverb does not appear in rhetorical sentences in
isolation. All forms of
何
hé (“what? when? how?”)
occur in combinations such as:
•
何妨
héfáng
—
“what harm is there?” / “what’s
the problem?”
•
何不
hébù
—
“why not…?”
•
何
尝
hécháng
—
“when has it ever…?”
•
何必
hébì
—
“why (bother)…?”
•
何苦
hékǔ —
“for what reason…?” / “why
suffer…?”
•
何曾
hécéng
—
“at what time…?” / “when
ever…?”
In almost all of our examined sentences, these forms
carry rhetorical force:
a) “
只要有利于心理健康，迷信一下又何妨？
”
Zhǐyào yǒu lìyú xīnlǐ jiànkāng, míxìn yīxià yòu héfáng?
—
As long as it benefits mental health, what harm is
there in being a little superstitious?
b) “
反正事情是吹了，院中又没有人，何不去拿几
件
东西呢？
”
Fǎnzhèng shìqíng shì chuīle, yuàn zhōng yòu méiyǒu
rén, hébù qù ná jǐ jiàn dōngxī ne?
—
Since the matter has already failed and no one is in
the courtyard, why not take a few things?
c) “
你叫我忘了你，而你又何
尝能忘得了我呢？
”
Nǐ jiào wǒ wàngle nǐ,
ér nǐ yòu hécháng néng wàng
déliǎo wǒ ne?
—
You told me to forget you, but when could you ever
forget me?
d) “
何必老是想不开：苦了自己？
”
Hébì lǎo shì xiǎngbùkāi: kǔ le zìjǐ?
—
Why always dwell on things and make yourself
suffer?
e) “
条条大路通
罗马，您何苦单走这独木桥呢？
”
Tiáo tiáo dàl
ù tōng luómǎ, nín hékǔ dān zǒu zhè
dúmùqiáo ne?
—
All roads lead to Rome
—
why insist on crossing this
lone wooden bridge by yourself?
f) “
这样好的差使，我何曾不想呢？
”
Zhèyàng hǎo de chāishǐ, wǒ hécéng bùxiǎng ne?
—
When have I ever not wanted such a good
assignment?
Even though rhetorical sentences containing
何
hé are
less frequent, whenever the adverb appears, it typically
conveys a rhetorical tone.
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
Forms related to the adverb
何
hé (“what?”, “when?”,
“how?”)
Meaning in Semantics
Meaning in Pragmatics
何妨
héfáng
– “What harm
would it do?”
Expresses necessity
Expresses emphasis
何不
hébù
– “Why not…?”
Expresses obligation or
possibility
Expresses persuasion, encouragement (to
get someone to agree) or to expand one’s
opportunities
何尝
hécháng
– “When?”
Expresses affirmation or
negation
Expresses self-defense, justification, or
emphasis
何必
hébì
– “Why?”
Expresses lack of necessity
Expresses necessity in a specific situation
何苦
hékǔ
– “Why bother?”
Indicates that a person or event
is not worth it
Expresses persuasion or encouragement
何曾
hécéng
– “When ever?”
Indicates that the emphasized
event has never happened
Expresses the state of coming to a
conclusion
The components
何必
hébì “why?” and
何苦
hékǔ “for
what reason?”
both indicate the absence of necessity
and suggest that a person or event is not worth the
effort. Sometimes, they can be used interchangeably.
The difference in usage is as follows:
1.
The component
何苦
hékǔ “for what reason?”
carries a slightly deeper tone in meaning compared to
何必
hébì “why?”. Therefore, in sentences with
何苦
hékǔ “for what reason?”, it is permissible to add the
interrogative particle
呢
ne
—
“a modal particle
conveying the speaker’s state” —
at the end of the
sentence. In contrast, after
何必
hébì “why?”, there
is
no need to add the interrogative particle
呢
ne.
On the adverb
岂
qǐ “how could it be / perhaps”
Forms of this type are not used in isolation; instead,
they are typically combined with other adverbs. For
example, with the adverb
不是
bùshì “no”, we get
岂不
是
qǐ bùshì —
“wouldn’t it be / isn’t it the case that
there’s no need?”. Similarly, the form
岂
qǐ may
combine with various verbs, producing expressions
such as
岂不
qǐ bù “isn’t it…?”,
岂可
qǐkě “how
could…?”,
岂止
qǐzhǐ “more than / not just…”, and
岂但
qǐdàn “not
only / how could it be that only…”.
Examples:
a)
万一
过几天
“
和平
”
解决了，
岂不是多此一举？
Wàn yī guò jǐ tiān “hépíng” jiějué le, qǐ bùshì duō cǐ yī
jǔ?
—
If in a few days’ time “peace” is achieved, wouldn’t
fighting have been unnecessary?
b)
磨
砖既不成镜，坐禅岂能成佛？
Mó zhuān jì bù chéng jìng, zuòchán qǐ néng chéng fó?
—
A brick cannot become a mirror by polishing; how
could mere meditation make one a Buddha?
c)
写在
纸上的话和事实岂不矛盾？
Xiě zài zhǐ shàng de huà hé shìshí qǐ bù máodùn?
—
Aren’t the words written on paper contradictory to
the facts?
d)
终身大事岂可马马虎虎？
Zhōngshēn dàshì qǐkě mǎmǎhǔhǔ?
—
How could one be careless about matters of lifelong
importance?
e)
巾
帼不让须眉，妇女岂止能撑半边天？
Jīnguó bù ràng xūméi, fùnǚ qǐzhǐ néng chēng bàn biān
tiān?
—
Women are no less than men; aren’t they capable of
holding up half the sky?
f)
岂但我一个人知道？
Qǐdàn wǒ yīgè rén zhīdào?
—
Could it be that I am the only one who knows?
On the adverb
还
hái “still, yet, even”
Forms of this type are also not used alone; rather, they
are combined with other adverbs. The adverb
还
hái
“still, yet, even” may be omitted in rhetorical questions.
However, when it is omitted, the tone of the sentence
becomes weaker. This can be seen in the following
comparisons:
1a)
她
让孩子一个人玩水，自己睡觉或者看电视，
孩子还能有个不感冒的？
—
She lets the child play in the water alone while she
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
sleeps or watches TV; can the child still avoid catching
a cold?
1b)
她
让孩子一个人玩水，自己睡觉或者看电视，
孩子能有个不感冒的？
—
She lets the child play in the water alone while she
sleeps or watches TV; can the child avoid catching a
cold?
2a)
您
为我们付出了这样高的代价，难道还不足于
表达您对中国人民的友谊？
—
You have paid such a high price for us; could it still
be insufficient to express your friendship towards the
Chinese people?
2b)
您
为我们付出了这样高的代价，难道不足于表
达您对中国人民的友谊？
—
You have paid such a high price for us; could it be
insufficient to express your friendship towards the
Chinese people?
3a)
你
还能不了解他的脾气秉性吗？
—
Can you still not understand his temperament and
character?
3b)
你能不了解他的脾气秉性
吗？
—
Can you not understand his temperament and
character?
In all three sets, the rhetorical questions differ in that
sentences with
还
hái have a stronger intonation, while
those without it are softer in tone.
On the adverb
又
yòu “again”
The adverbs
又
yòu “again” and
还
hái “still, again” are
used with similar frequency. Like
还
hái, the adverb
又
yòu can be omitted in rhetorical questions without
significantly altering the meaning of the sentence.
However, the omission slightly weakens the speaker’s
tone and determination.
Examples:
1a) …
再
说，香港又有什么了不起的？
—
…Besides, what is so special about
Hong Kong,
anyway?
1b)
再
说，香港有什么了不起的？
—
…Besides, what is so special about Hong Kong?
2a)
一个人如果不是像一
块海绵吸水似的，积蓄起
大量的词汇，他的语言，又怎么能够生动和丰富起
来呢？
—
If a person does not absorb vocabulary like a sponge,
how could his language possibly become vivid and rich?
2b)
一个人如果不足像一
块海绵吸水似的，积蓄起
大量的词汇，他的语言，怎么能够生动和丰富起来
呢？
—
If a person does not absorb vocabulary like a sponge,
how could his language become vivid and rich?
3a)
她是朕的
亲妈妈，又是太后，于忠于孝，朕又
能怎样？
—
She is my biological mother, and also the Empress
Dowager, worthy of loyalty and filial piety; what more
could I do?
3b)
她是朕的
亲妈妈，又是太后，于忠于孝，朕能
怎样？
—
She is my biological mother, and also the Empress
Dowager, worthy of loyalty and filial piety; what could
I do?
CONCLUSION
The adverbs
还
hái “still, yet” and
又
yòu “again” do not
differ in meaning from other adverbs in terms of the
semantic content they express in rhetorical questions.
Their use is not obligatory; they can be omitted without
changing the rhetorical nature of the sentence. Their
main function is to strengthen the tone of the
utterance, serving as prosodic devices that reflect the
speaker’s stance. In syntactic terms, they can be
classified as marked adverbs.
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