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Mythic Mandarin

Surely not: 难道…吗

HSK 6 Unit 1: Rhetorical questions · Lesson 1 of 5 · About 26 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can disagree strongly with a rhetorical question using 难道…吗, and talk through a family argument about quitting a job.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

  1. Meaning

    What does 作家 mean?

    1. writer, author
    2. to imagine
    3. the twelfth lunar month
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, writer, author.

    作家 (zuòjiā) means writer, author.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “the twelfth lunar month”?

    1. 室友
    2. 备份
    3. 腊月
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 腊月.

    “the twelfth lunar month” is 腊月 (làyuè).

New words

  • 难道nándàosurely … not, could it be that
  • 明明míngmíngclearly, obviously
  • 道理dàolisense, reason
  • 坚决jiānjuéfirm, firmly
  • 年纪niánjìage
  • 环游huányóuto travel around

难道…吗

难道 (nándào) … 吗？ is a rhetorical question. It does not ask for information: it expects the answer no and shows surprise or disagreement. 难道你不知道吗？ means surely you know!

  • 难道你忘了吗？我们昨天说好的！

    Nándào nǐ wàng le ma? Wǒmen zuótiān shuō hǎo de!

    Surely you haven't forgotten? We agreed yesterday!

  • 这么简单的道理，难道他不明白吗？

    Zhème jiǎndān de dàoli, nándào tā bù míngbai ma?

    Surely he understands something this simple?

  • Not: 难道你明天去北京吗？

    But: 你明天去北京吗？ Nǐ míngtiān qù Běijīng ma?

    For a neutral question, leave out 难道: it adds surprise or disagreement.

明明

明明 (míngmíng) stresses an obvious fact, usually before a contrast: it is clearly so, yet ….

  • 他明明知道，却说不知道。

    Tā míngmíng zhīdào, què shuō bù zhīdào.

    He clearly knows, yet he says he doesn't.

Characters

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

I want to see the world

Zhang Wei tells his mother he wants to quit his job and travel.

Listen first

Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.

Helpful words: 趁 chèn while, taking advantage of; 却 què yet, but; 环游世界 huányóu shìjiè to travel around the world; 存款 cúnkuǎn savings; 外面 wàimian outside, the world out there; 世界 shìjiè world

  1. Listening

    Listen first. How long does Zhang Wei want to travel?

    1. a year
    2. a month
    3. five years
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, a year.

    去环游世界一年.

  2. Listening

    What does his mother finally ask for?

    1. a phone call every week
    2. that he stays in his job
    3. that he gives her his savings
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, a phone call every week.

    你得每个星期给我打电话.

Show the transcript
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 张伟

    妈Mā，我wǒ决定juédìng辞职cízhí，去qù环游世界huányóu shìjiè一yì年nián。

    Mum, I've decided to quit my job and travel around the world for a year.

  2. 张妈妈

    什么Shénme？你Nǐ的de工作gōngzuò明明míngmíng很hěn稳定wěndìng，难道nándào你nǐ不bù想xiǎng要yào了le吗ma？

    What? Your job is clearly a stable one. Surely you don't want to give it up?

  3. 张伟

    我Wǒ想xiǎng趁chèn年纪niánjì还hái轻qīng，去qù外面wàimian看看kànkan。

    I want to see the world while I'm still young.

  4. 张妈妈

    难道Nándào在zài国内guónèi就jiù看kàn不bu到dào吗ma？一Yì年nián以后yǐhòu回来huílai，你nǐ怎么zěnme找zhǎo工作gōngzuò？

    Surely you can see things here at home? When you come back in a year, how will you find work?

  5. 张伟

    我Wǒ有yǒu存款cúnkuǎn，也yě有yǒu经验jīngyàn。我Wǒ已经yǐjīng决定juédìng了le，态度tàidu很hěn坚决jiānjué。

    I have savings and experience. I've decided, and I'm firm about it.

  6. 张妈妈

    好Hǎo吧ba，你nǐ说shuō的de也yě有道理yǒu dàoli。可是Kěshì你nǐ得děi每měi个gè星期xīngqī给gěi我wǒ打dǎ电话diànhuà！

    All right, what you say makes sense too. But you must call me every week!

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

  • 什么？你的工作明明很稳定，难道你不想要了吗？

    Shénme? Nǐ de gōngzuò míngmíng hěn wěndìng, nándào nǐ bù xiǎng yào le ma?

    What? Your job is clearly a stable one. Surely you don't want to give it up?

  • 我想趁年纪还轻，去外面看看。

    Wǒ xiǎng chèn niánjì hái qīng, qù wàimian kànkan.

    I want to see the world while I'm still young.

  • 妈，我决定辞职，去环游世界一年。

    Mā, wǒ juédìng cízhí, qù huányóu shìjiè yì nián.

    Mum, I've decided to quit my job and travel around the world for a year.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 难道 mean?

    1. club
    2. surely … not, could it be that
    3. eight
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, surely … not, could it be that.

    难道 (nándào) means surely … not, could it be that.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “clearly, obviously”?

    1. 明明
    2. 道理
    3. 蜡烛
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 明明.

    “clearly, obviously” is 明明 (míngmíng).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 道理 (sense, reason)?

    1. dáoli
    2. dāoli
    3. dàoli
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, dàoli.

    道理 is read dàoli. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    坚决 jiānjué

    1. to study abroad
    2. firm, firmly
    3. the Dragon Boat Festival
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, firm, firmly.

    You heard 坚决 (jiānjué): firm, firmly.

  5. Your turn

    Recall: type the Chinese for “age” (characters or pinyin).

    Show the answer

    Answer: 年纪

    “age” is 年纪 (niánjì).

  6. Grammar

    Which sentence is a rhetorical question?

    1. 你知道吗？
    2. 难道你不知道吗？
    3. 你难道知道。
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 难道你不知道吗？.

    难道你不知道吗？: 难道 … 吗: surely ….

  7. Fill the gap

    Complete: It's clearly his fault, yet he blames me.

    ＿＿是他的错，他却怪我。

    1. 难道
    2. 坚决
    3. 明明
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, 明明.

    明明: clearly.

  8. In context

    Someone gives you a good reason for a decision. What do you say?

    1. 你说的有道理。
    2. 你说得难道。
    3. 你说得明明。
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 你说的有道理。.

    你说的有道理。: 有道理: to make sense.

  9. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for age

    Show the answer

    Answer: 年纪

    年纪: age.

Disagree politely

A friend says one of the following out loud: learning Chinese is useless, sport is a waste of time, or cities are better than the countryside. Disagree in six sentences.

  1. Repeat what they said.
  2. Disagree with two rhetorical questions using 难道…吗.
  3. Admit one point with 你说的也有道理.

Sentence frames

  • 难道＿＿吗？

    Nándào ＿＿ ma?

    Surely ...?

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

  • I disagree with rhetorical questions using 难道…吗.
  • I stress an obvious fact with 明明.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next lesson: Why bother: 何必 and 何苦