We have seen before that 吧 can be used to soften the tone of statements, or make commands feel more like suggestions. 呢 works in same way, but it is used to make questions more indirect and uncertain in tone.

呢 used successively with 还是

呢 can be used successively in questions using 还是.

Structure

Examples

The example sentences above almost have a tone that the speaker is talking to him/herself, as the question is not directly asked at the listener. A second verb is only necessary if different to the first verb.

呢 with questions involving interrogative pronouns (哪儿，谁，怎么，什么 etc.)

Structure

Examples

In the previous example, the speaker has a tone of conjecture, a bit like saying "I wonder" in English. Again, as in the first example, the question is not directly asked at the listener. Adding 呢 to 怎么会 as in the last example sentence can sound a bit feminine; overusing 呢 can have this result.

呢 with "verb 不 verb" questions

If a "verb 不 verb" question is posed without 呢, it can appear as though the speaker is a bit impatient, or is ordering the listener to do something. This of course depends on the tone of voice used. Adding 呢 can give a tone of uncertainty, and is more polite.

Structure

Examples

Again, the meaning of the above sentences depends on context, and the interpretations given are just examples.

See also

• Interrogative pronouns
• Questions with "ne"
• Sentence-final interjection "a"

Sources and further reading

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp.139-41) →buy

Category: B2 grammar points Category: Particles