American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research
29
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajsshr
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue08 2025
PAGE NO.
29-31
10.37547/ajsshr/Volume05Issue08-06
24
Peculiarities of Expressing Rhetorical Questions in
Chinese Through Modal Verbs
Matkarimova Nargiz Muxamataminovna
Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, 2nd-year basic doctoral student, Uzbekistan
Received:
13 June 2025;
Accepted:
09 July 2025;
Published:
11 August 2025
Abstract:
This article provides a detailed overview of the modal verbs used to express modality in rhetorical
questions in the Chinese language.
Keywords
:
能
néng “can” (physically able to),
会
huì “can” (mentally/skill
-based),
敢
gǎn “dare to,”
肯
kěn “be
willing to,”
得
dé (auxili
ary for “able to do”),
可以
kěyǐ “may,”
应该
yīnggāi “should,” and others
.
Introduction:
The main modal verbs used to express
modality in Chinese rhetorical questions include:
能
néng “can” (physically able to),
会
huì “can”
(mentally/skill-based),
敢
gǎn “dare to,”
肯
kěn “be
wi
lling to,”
得
dé (auxiliary for “able to do”),
可以
kěyǐ
“may,”
应该
yīnggāi “should,” and similar forms.
Below, we will examine their use in rhetorical questions
in detail.
Modal verbs related to
能
néng “can” (physically able
to)
Among modal verbs expressing modality in Chinese,
能
néng “can” (physically able to) is one of the most
frequently used. Rhetorical questions expressed with
能
néng can appear in general, special, affirmative, and
negative forms.
Examples:
a)
«
在
这个情况下我能不工作吗
?»
zài
zhège
qíngkuàng xià wǒ néng bù gōngzuò ma —
In such a
situation, could I possibly not work?
b)
«
很久的
历史连您不知道，我怎么能知道
?»
Hěnjiǔ de lìshǐ nín bù zhīdào, wǒ zěnme néng zhīdào?
—
You don’t even know ancient history, so how could I
possibly know?
The modal verb
能
néng “can” (physically abl
e to) is
usually not used alone in rhetorical questions. It is
typically combined with interrogative pronouns and
adverbs, carrying a subjective nuance.
Modal verbs related to
会
huì “can” (mentally/skill
-
based)
The modal verb
会
huì “can” (mentally/skill
-based) is
also widely used in Chinese rhetorical questions, similar
to
能
néng “can” (physically able to). This modal verb is
rarely used alone in rhetorical questions and appears in
both affirmative and negative forms.
Examples:
a) “
我哪里会有
这样的想法
?” Wǒ nǎlǐ huì yǒu zhèyàng
de xiǎngfǎ? —
How could I possibly have such an idea?
b) “
我会照
顾自己的，我连大猫它们也一起照顾，
我怎么不会照顾自己？
”
Wǒ huì zhàogù zìjǐ de, wǒ
lián dà māo tāmen yě yīqǐ zhàogù, wǒ zěnme bù huì
zhàogù zìjǐ? —
I can take care of myself; I even take care
of the giant pandas, so how could I not be able to take
care of myself?
Although the modal verb
会
huì “can” (mentally/skill
-
based) appears frequently in Chinese rhetorical
questions, its forms are quite simple. The following
table shows the functional patterns of
会
huì “can”
(mentally/skill-based) in sentences.
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
Form
Affirmative Form
Negative Form
还会
“…still knows?”
还会
“…still knows?”
还会不
“…might not know?”
哪
(
里
)
会
“…how
could
(someone) know?”
哪
(
里
)
会
“…how
could
(someone) know?”
哪
(
里
)
不会
/
哪
(
里
)
会不
“…how
could (someone) not know?”
怎么会
“How could
I
know?”; “How could you
know?”; “How could he/she
know?”
怎么会
“How could I know?”;
“How could you know?”;
“How could he/she know?”
怎么不会
/
怎么会不
“How could I
not know?”; “How could you not
know?”; “How could he/she not
know?”
Gǎn
敢
“to dare” Modal Verbs
Modal verbs in the form
of gǎn
敢
(“to dare”) usually express the affirmative
form. To express the negative form with this modal
verb, it is necessary to use additional components. At
the same time, rhetorical questions using this modal
verb tend to have a slightly stronger tone.
For example: a) “
路上的人一个比一个
恶，我敢跟谁
狠去？
”
Lùshàng de rén yīgè bǐ yīgè è, wǒ gǎn gēn shéi
hěn qù? —
The people on the road are each more
vicious than the other; who would I dare to side with?
b) “
你都敢来，
我干
吗不敢来较量？
”
Nǐ dōu gǎn lái,
wǒ gànma bù gǎn lái jiàoliàng? —
You dared to come,
so why wouldn’t I dare to come and compete?
Modal verbs in the form of gǎn
敢
(“to dare”) cannot
generally be used independently in rhetorical
questions. Their usage most often follows the structure
“interrogative pronoun/adverb + question particle” as
in example (a). In cases like example (b), the structure
is “adverb + question particle.” The meaning conv
eyed
by the accompanying components is essentially the
same as that of gǎn
敢
(“to dare”). The negative form
bù gǎn
不敢
(“to not dare”) expresses a subjective
improbability.
Kěn
肯
“to be willing” Modal Verbs
Modal verbs in the
form of kěn
肯
(“to be willing”)
are generally not used
independently but occur together with other words to
create a rhetorical effect. Often, adverbs such as yòu
又
(“again”) and hái
还
(“still, yet”) precede it, intensifying
the rhetorical tone. Both affirmative and negative
forms exist in sentences using this modal verb.
For example: a) “
别人不帮助我，
他
还不肯？
”
Biérén
bù bāngzhù wǒ, tā hái bù kěn? —
When others aren’t
helping me, would he still be unwilling?
b) “
客人
们在这儿又是吃，又是喝，又是玩的，谁
肯走？
”
Kèrénmen zài zhè’er yòu shì chī, yòu shì hē,
yòu shì wán de
, shéi kěn zǒu? —
The guests are here
eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves; who would
want to leave?
Dé
得
“to manage to, to be able to” Modal Verbs
The
modal verb dé
得
(“to manage to, to be able to”)
expresses subjective possibility or ability and is usually
used in negative rhetorical sentences. In rhetorical
questions, this verb often takes the form of ordinary
interrogatives while implicitly expressing negation. The
negatives bù dé
不得
and fēi děi
非得
can also be used
to form negative rhetorical structures.
For example: a) “
不去就不去吧，等他
长两岁再说，
对个没娘的孩子不就得格外心疼吗？
”
Bù qù jiù bù
qù ba, děng tā cháng liǎng suì zàishuō, duì gè méi niáng
de háizi bù jiù dé géwài xīnténg ma? —
If you don’t go,
then don’t go. Let’s talk when he is two years older;
shouldn’t one feel
especially sorry for a child without a
mother?
b) “
难道不得
‘
谢谢
’
盗
卖者吗？
”
Nándào bù dé
“xièxiè” dàomàizhě ma? —
Isn’t it necessary to say
“thank you” to the trafficker?
Rhetorical questions with dé
得
often convey meanings
of obligation or necessity similar to the modal verbs
yīnggāi
应该
(“should, ought to”) or bìxū
必
须
(“must”).
Kěyǐ
可以
“may, can” Modal Verbs
The modal verb
kěyǐ
可以
(“may, can”) frequently appears in rhetorical
questions, taking both ordinary and special
interrogative forms. Both affirmative and negative
rhetorical forms exist.
For example: “
这是加油站，哪可以随便抽烟？
”
Zhè
shì jiāyóu zhàn, nǎ kěyǐ suíbiàn chōuyān? —
This is a gas
station; where could it possibly be okay to smoke?
a) “
你怎么可以
偷我未婚妻的葡萄？
”
Nǐ zěnme kěyǐ
tōu wǒ wèihūnqī de pútáo? —
How could you possibly
steal my fiancée’s grapes?
As can be seen from the examp
les, kěyǐ
可以
(“may,
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
can”) rarely appears alone in rhetorical questions and
is usually accompanied by interrogative pronouns and
other components to enhance the rhetorical effect.
Yīnggāi
应该
“should, ought to” Modal Verbs
The
modal verb yīnggāi
应该
(“should, ought to”) often
appears in ordinary and special interrogatives in
Chinese. However, in rhetorical sentences, it is rarely
used alone; instead, it is combined with other
components to create the rhetorical tone.
For example: a) “
你是中国共
产党党员，不应该坚持
原则吗？
”
Nǐ shì Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng dǎngyuán,
bù yīnggāi jiānchí yuánzé ma? —
You are a member of
the Chinese Communist Party; shouldn’t you adhere to
principles?
b) “
全厂的人
谁不热心增产，我怎么不该卖点力气
，去学新西呢？
”
Quán chǎng de rén shéi bù rèxīn
zēngchǎn, wǒ zěnme bù gāi màidiǎn lìqì,
qù xué xīn xī
ne?
—
Everyone in the factory is eager to increase
production; why shouldn’t I put in some effort to learn
new things from the West?
In general
, the use of modal verbs in Chinese rhetorical
questions has two main characteristics:
1.
These modal verbs are usually not used
independently but in combination with other
components to create rhetorical style;
2.
In rhetorical questions using these modal verbs
(except for huì
会
“can, be able to” and kěyǐ
可以
“may,
can”), the sentence is in an objectiv
e form, while the
meaning understood from it is subjective.
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