(nán dào) - could it be that, don't tell me that (rhetorical) in Mandarin
nándàoTraditional: 難道
Translation
could it be that, don't tell me that (rhetorical)
Word origin
难道 (nándào) 'could it be that' is a rhetorical adverb joining 难 'difficult' with 道 'to say, way', roughly 'is it hard to say that'. 难 has the bird radical 隹; 道 combines the walking radical 辶 with 首 'head'.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 难 (difficult) + 道 (to say, way)
Stroke order
难
道
Examples
？
Don't tell me you didn't know?
？
Could it be that this is also my fault?
？
Could it really be that there's no other way?
？
Surely he hasn't not arrived yet?
难道 (nán dào) - could it be that, don't tell me that (rhetorical).
Where this fits
Used in
Grammar articles
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难道: worksheet, infographic and listicle
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 10.