Ch 31 · Lesson 9Mandarin · Chapter 31 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
何必 and 谁知道: why bother, who knows
？ says there's no need; ？ says nobody knows; ？ says I have none. Plus the written 岂.
The short version
？Nǐ hébì zhème kèqi ne?
Why?Hide
(hébì), 'what need is there?', says there is none: (hébì zhème zháojí), what's the rush? It is already a question, so it takes no (ma). Question words do the same job: (shéi zhīdào), who knows, means nobody does.
何必 (hébì): why bother?
(hébì) asks "what need is there?", which means there is none. It is already a question, so it takes no (ma); a (ne) at the end is optional:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
？ | Hébì zhème zháojí? | What's the rush? |
？ | Nǐ hébì zhème kèqi ne? | You shouldn't have! (no need to fuss) |
？ | Hébì wèi zhè diǎn xiǎoshì shēngqì? | Why get angry over something so small? |
？ | Hébì ne? | What's the point? |
(hékǔ) is close, with more sympathy: why put yourself through it? You say it to a friend who is making themselves miserable: ？ (Nǐ hékǔ ne?), why do this to yourself?
Question words that do not ask
The ordinary question words make rhetorical questions too, with no special marker. (shéi) says nobody, (nǎr) says not at all, (zěnme) says it cannot be:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | What it means |
|---|---|---|
？ | Shéi zhīdào? | Who knows? Nobody does |
？ | Wǒ nǎr yǒu shíjiān? | Where would I find the time? I have none |
？ | Zhè zěnme kěnéng? | How could that be? It can't |
？ | Wǒ zěnme zhīdào? | How should I know? I don't |
In (wǒ nǎr yǒu shíjiān), (nǎr) has nothing to do with a place. (nǎlǐ), heard everywhere, does the same job: ？
岂不 (qǐbù): the written one
岂 (qǐbù) means "would it not be". It belongs to writing and formal speech, and usually follows a suggestion to say how much better things would be:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，岂？ | Zǎodiǎn chūfā, qǐbù gèng hǎo? | Wouldn't it be better to set off early? |
，？ | Zǎodiǎn chūfā, búshì gèng hǎo ma? | The same, as you would say it |
岂 (qǐ) survives mostly in fixed phrases like this one, so learn 岂 as a single item. Read it and use it in an essay; over lunch, say (búshì gèng hǎo ma).
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
？ | ？ | (hébì) is already a question: no (ma) |
？ | ？ | the frame is (búshì)… (ma) |
？ | ？ | (nándào) makes a point; for a real question, drop it |
Going further: The whole system on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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