A common way to form questions in Chinese is to first use a
[verb](verb "wikilink") in the positive, then repeat the same verb in
its negative form, similar to how in English we can say, "Do you have
money or not?" or "Have you or have you not been to the park?" This
sentence pattern feels a lot more natural in Chinese than those
admittedly awkward English equivalents, however.

Verb-Not-Verb
-------------

### Structure

<div class="jiegou">
Verb + 不 + Verb

</div>
### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   <em>是 不 是</em> ？ <span class="pinyin"><em>Shì bu
    shì</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is it (or not)?</span>
-   他们 <em>来 不 来</em> ？ <span class="pinyin">Tāmen <em>lái bu
    lái</em>?</span><span class="trans">Are they going to come or
    not?</span>
-   你 <em>想 不 想</em> 我 ？ <span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>xiǎng bu
    xiǎng</em> wǒ?</span><span class="trans">Do you or do you not miss
    me?</span>
-   我们 要 去 酒吧， 你 <em>去 不 去</em>？<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen
    yào qù jiǔbā, nǐ <em> qù bu qù</em>?</span><span class="trans">We
    are going to the bar. Do you want to go? </span>
-   我 去 买 咖啡 ，你 <em>要 不 要</em> ？ <span class="pinyin">Wǒ qù
    mǎi kāfēi, <em>yào bu yào</em>?</span><span class="trans">I'm going
    to buy coffee. Do you want some?</span>

</div>
Note that the question provides the listener with both possible answers:
it's either "Verb" or "不 (bù) Verb."

Verb-Not-Verb with an Object
----------------------------

### Structure

If you want to add an object after the verb, the general sentence
structure is:

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + Verb + 不 + Verb + Obj.

</div>
### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   你 <em> 回 不 回</em> 家？ <span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em> huí bu
    huí</em>jiā?</span><span class="trans">Are you coming back home or
    not?</span>
-   她 <em> 吃 不 吃</em> 鱼？ <span class="pinyin">Tā<em> chī bu
    chī</em> yú?</span><span class="trans">Does she eat fish?</span>
-   你们 <em>要 不 要</em> 米饭？ <span class="pinyin">Nǐmen <em>yào bu
    yào</em> mǐfàn?</span><span class="trans">Do you want rice?</span>
-   你爸爸 <em>喝 不 喝</em> 酒？ <span class="pinyin">Nǐ bàba ​<em>hē
    bu hē</em>jiǔ?</span><span class="trans">Does your dad drink alcohol
    or not?</span>
-   今天 老板 <em>来 不 来</em> 办公室？<span class="pinyin">Jīntiān
    lǎobǎn <em>lái bu lái</em> bàngōngshì?</span><span class="trans">Is
    the boss coming to the office today?</span>

</div>
Adjective-Not-Adjective
-----------------------

### Structure

It can also be done with [adjectives](adjectives "wikilink") (adjectives
often behave like verbs in Chinese):

<div class="jiegou">
Adj. + 不 + Adj.

</div>
### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   <em>好 不 好</em> ？<span class="expl">Literally, "good or not
    good?"</span><span class="pinyin"><em>Hǎo bu
    hǎo</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is it good?</span>
-   <em>热 不 热</em> ？<span class="pinyin"><em>Rè bu
    rè</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is it hot?</span>
-   他 <em>帅 不 帅</em> ？<span class="pinyin">Tā <em> shuài bu
    shuài</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is he handsome?</span>
-   这里 的 咖啡 <em>贵 不 贵</em> ？ <span class="pinyin">Zhèlǐ de
    kāfēi <em>gùi bu gùi</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is the coffee
    expensive here?</span>
-   中国 菜 <em>辣 不 辣</em> ？ <span class="pinyin">Zhōngguó cài
    <em>là bu là</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is Chinese food
    spicy?</span>

</div>
Again, the question provides the listener with both possible answers:
it's either "Adjective" or "不 (bù) Adjective."

These are something like adding tag questions in English, in this case
"Are you an adult or not?" If you wanted to translate it very literally,
it would be, "Are you or are you not an adult?" In any case, the
structure is a very common way to ask questions in Chinese.

Two-Character Verbs and Adjectives
----------------------------------

All of the verbs used so far have been single-character verbs. Using
two-characters verbs in affirmative-negative questions is slightly
trickier. You usually put 不 (bù) after just the first character, then
put the entire verb. For example 喜不喜欢 (xǐ bu xǐhuan) is the usual
question form of 喜欢 (xǐhuan). You can repeat the whole two-character
verb twice, but it's more common (and more elegant) to insert 不 (bù)
after the first character (and the same is generally true of
two-character adjectives).

### Structure

It can be done with [verbs](verbs "wikilink"):

<div class="jiegou">
\[First Character of Verb\] + 不 + Verb

</div>
It can also be done with [adjectives](adjectives "wikilink"):

<div class="jiegou">
\[First Character of Adj.\] + 不 + Adj.

</div>
### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   <em>喜欢 不 喜欢</em>？<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">whole word
    repeated</span><span class="pinyin"><em>Xǐhuan bu
    xǐhuan</em>?</span><span class="trans">Do you like it?</span>
-   <em>喜 不 喜欢</em>？<span class="expl pdf-short-expl">only the
    first character repeated</span><span class="pinyin"><em>Xǐ bu
    xǐhuan</em>?</span><span class="trans">Do you like it?</span>

<!-- -->

-   <em>高兴 不 高兴</em>？<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">whole word
    repeated</span><span class="pinyin"><em>Gāoxìng bu
    gāoxìng</em>?</span><span class="trans">Are you happy?</span>
-   <em>高 不 高兴</em>？<span class="expl pdf-short-expl">only the
    first character repeated</span><span class="pinyin"><em>Gāo bu
    gāoxìng</em>?</span><span class="trans">Are you happy?</span>

<!-- -->

-   他 女朋友 <em>漂亮 不
    漂亮</em>？<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">whole word
    repeated</span><span class="pinyin"> Tā nǚpéngyou <em>piàoliang bu
    piàoliang</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is his girlfriend
    pretty?</span>
-   他 女朋友 <em>漂 不
    漂亮</em>？<span class="expl pdf-short-expl">only the first
    character repeated</span><span class="pinyin">Tā nǚpéngyou <em>piào
    bu piàoliang</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is his girlfriend
    pretty?</span>

<!-- -->

-   中国 菜 <em>好吃 不
    好吃</em>？<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">whole word
    repeated</span><span class="pinyin">Zhōngguó cài <em>hǎochī bu
    hǎochī</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is Chinese food good?</span>
-   中国 菜 <em>好 不 好吃</em>？<span class="expl pdf-short-expl">only
    the first character repeated</span><span class="pinyin">Zhōngguó cài
    <em>hǎo bu hǎochī</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is Chinese food
    good?</span>

<!-- -->

-   那 个 地方 <em>好玩 不
    好玩</em>？<span class="expl pdf-simple-expl">whole word
    repeated</span><span class="pinyin">Nàge dìfang <em> hǎowán bu
    hǎowán</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is that place fun?</span>
-   那 个 地方 <em>好 不
    好玩</em>？<span class="expl pdf-short-expl">only the first
    character repeated</span><span class="pinyin"> Nàge dìfang <em> hǎo
    bu hǎowán</em>?</span><span class="trans">Is that place fun?</span>

</div>
有 (yǒu) Is a Special Case
--------------------------

### Structure

Because the verb [有 (yǒu) is negated with 没
(méi)](Negation_of_"you"_with_"mei" "wikilink") and not 不 (bù), the
structure for affirmative-negative questions with 有 (yǒu) is:

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 有 没有 + Obj.

</div>
The possible answers are: "有 (yǒu)" or "没有 (méiyǒu)."

The questions could be be asking about current possession ("Do you have
it or not?"), or to ask about [verbs in the
past](Negation_of_past_actions_with_"meiyou" "wikilink") ("Did you do it
or not?").

### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   你 哥哥 <em>有 没有</em> 女 朋友？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ gēge
    <em>yǒu méiyǒu</em> nǚpéngyou?</span><span class="trans">Does your
    older brother have a girlfriend?</span>
-   你们 <em>有 没有</em> 孩子？ <span class="pinyin">Nǐmen <em>yǒu
    méiyǒu</em> háizi?</span><span class="trans">Do you have
    children?</span>
-   奶奶 <em>有 没有</em> 坐 过 飞机？ <span class="pinyin">Nǎinai
    <em>yǒu méiyǒu</em> zuò guo fēijī?</span><span class="trans">Has
    grandma been on a plane?</span>
-   他 <em>有 没有</em> 上 过 大学？<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>yǒu
    méiyǒu</em> shàng guo dàxué?</span><span class="trans">Has he been
    to college?</span>

</div>
See also
--------

-   [Tag questions with "bu"](Tag_questions_with_"bu" "wikilink")
-   [Yes-no questions with "ma"](Yes-no_questions_with_"ma" "wikilink")
-   [Offering choices with
    "haishi"](Offering_choices_with_"haishi" "wikilink")

Sources and further reading
---------------------------

### Videos

-   Yoyo Chinese: [Verb-not-verb
    Questions](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu7GPWS2FKE&list=PL94A5E422FB99CDDD)

### Books

-   [Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second
    Edition](Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition "wikilink") (pp.
    141-4)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0415372615)
-   [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1
    (3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
    86, 102-4)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385)
-   [New Practical Chinese Reader
    1 (新实用汉语课本1)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1) "wikilink") (p.
    87)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401)
-   [New Practical Chinese Reader 1
    (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1)(2nd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
    102, 250-1)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7561926235)

[Category:A1 grammar points](Category:A1_grammar_points "wikilink")