QUESTION PARTICLES    問句表記

GRAMMAR [][NOTE THAT THE GRAMMATICAL PARTICLES HAVE NOT BEEN FOCUSSED SO FAR IN THE SYSTEM AND NO SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS HAS BEEN APPLIED SO FAR.]
Old Chinese Criteria
Basic sentence-final question particles:乎 marks narrative or narratively descriptive verbal questions, and also indirect questions.耶 marks judgmental questions.也 can mark objective judgmental questions “何謂也　"what does this mean" not "what are you trying to say?" 哉 can mark emotionally charged rhetorical questions.
See also
  • ASKREQUEST an ANSWER.
Hypernym
  • PARTICLE　A WORD that NOT VERBAL AND NOT NOMINAL. [NOTE THAT THE GRAMMATICAL PARTICLES HAVE NOT BEEN FOCUSSED SO FAR IN THE SYSTEM AND NO SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS HAS BEEN APPLIED SO FAR.] (anc: 12/0, child: 24)
  • WORD　SOUND IMAGE of a CONCEPT. (Leibniz, Couturat p. 432) (anc: 11/0, child: 7)
  • SOUND　WHAT CAN be HEARD. (anc: 10/0, child: 7)
  • Chinese Synonyms Usage Dictionary ( TENG SHOU-HSIN 1996) p. 316

  • The Encyclopedia of Philosophy ( BORCHERT 2005) p. 10.32

    QUESTIONS

    • Words (25 items)

    乎  hū OC: ɢaa MC: ɦuo̝ 93 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • ppostadN{PRED}marks a question sentence with a nominal predicate.CH
    • ppostadS1.adS2alternativemarks alternative questions or statements, similar to 邪DS
    • ppostadSquestionfinal question particle after verbal sentence 管仲儉乎？"Was Guǎnzhòng stingy?"
    • ppostadSrhetorical question不亦樂乎 "is that not surely  a joy"  sentence particle marking rhetorical question (often in an apodosis of a conditional)LZ
    也  yě OC: lalʔ MC: jɣɛ 67 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • ppostadnpro{Q}何也“Why is that?": marking questions consisting of a question pronoun onlyCH
    • ppostadN{PRED}with question pronoun何器也？"What instrument is this?": particle marking a question sentence with a nominal predicate e.g. 何器也？CH
    • ppostadSalternativemarker of second of two alternative judgmental questions
    • ppostadSjudgmental rhetorical question孰不可忍也？"Then what is not bearable?": particle marking an (often generalising) rhetorical questionCH
    • ppostadSquestion何謂也"What does this mean?“: marks a judgmental question sentence 
    • ppostadSwithout question pronoun十世可知也？"Can one get to know matters ten generations ago?": marks judgmental general questionsCH
    哉  zāi MC: -- OC: skɯɯ 56 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • ppostad.npro{Q}questionquestion marker
    • ppostadnpro{Q}particle marking a question as being of particular concernCH
    • ppostadSmarking urgent questionsCH
    • ppostadSexpected answer: no!final particle used after rhetorical questions inviting a negative answer MOVE TO PRECEDING
    • ppostadSrhetorical question天何言哉？(in questions) rhetorical
    與  yú MC: yo OC: k-la 47 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • ppostadNpr{PRED}=歟(works like 也乎) question particle in sentence with proper-name nominal predicateCH
    • ppostadN{PRED}=歟(works like 也乎)　夫子聖者與？marker of a question sentence with a nominal predicateCH
    • ppostadN{PRED}rhetorical=歟(works like 也乎) rhetorical question marker; particle indicating the tentativeness of a statement
    • ppostadS=歟(works like 也乎): question particle ending verbal questions.CH
    • ppostadSjudgmental(works like 也乎)
    • ppostadSrhetoricalmarking a verbal rhetorical sentenceCH
    邪  yé OC: la MC: jɣɛ
    邪  yé OC: k-la MC: jɣɛ 31 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • ppostadSquestion particle
    • ppostadSalternativequestion particle, marking disjunctive question
    • ppostadSrhetorical question?. Surely not
    還  hái MC: -- OC: -- 17 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • padVadverbial question marker
    不  bù OC: pɯʔ MC: pi̯ut 17 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • ppostadSor is this not so? > functions almost like question particle (compare German "oder nicht?")
    也無  yě wú OC: lalʔ ma MC: jɣɛ mi̯o 16 Attributions
    • 中國語歷史文法 Chūgokugo rekishi bunpō A Historical Grammar of the Chinese Language ( OTA 1958) p.

    • 漢語語法史概要 Hànyǔ yǔfǎ shǐ gàiyào An Outline of the History of Chinese Grammar ( PAN CHONGZHONG 1982) p.

    • 近代漢語語氣詞 Jìndài hànyǔ yǔqǐcí Sentence Final Modal Particles in Early Mandarin ( SUN XIXIN 1999) p. 50-60

    • 漢語語法史 Hànyǔ yǔfǎ shǐ A History of Chinese Grammar ( WANG LI 1989) p.

      Syntactic words
    • PPpostadSfinal particles marking a yes/no question (usually (but not always) interrogative adverb 還 has to appear in this type of construction: 還...也無) (Note that ist has to be analyzed whether 也無 should be regarded as a constituent or not)
    與  yú OC: k-la MC: ji̯ɤ
    歟  yú OC: k-la MC: ji̯ɤ 13 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • ppostadStentativesentence final particle indicating a tentative modality: perhaps?
    也與  yě yú MC: dzyoX yo OC: lalʔ k-la 9 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • PPpostadStentative=也歟marking a judgemental rhetorical questionCH
    又  yòu MC: hjuwH OC: ɢʷɯs 6 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • pad.npro{Q}{SUB}+Vtmodal adverb increasing the affective force of a rhetorical questionLZ
    • padVmodal adverb increasing the affective force of a rhetorical questionLZ
    無乃  wú nǎi OC: ma nɯɯʔ MC: mi̯o nəi 5 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • PPadSrhetorical question marker
    耶  yé MC: yae OC: la 3 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • ppostadSrhetoricalparticle marking rhetorical questionsCH
    諸  zhū OC: klja MC: tɕi̯ɤ 3 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • ppostadScontractioninterrogative final particle, contraction of 之乎
    矣乎  yǐ hū MC: hiX hu OC: ɢɯʔ ɢaa 3 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • PPpostadSmarker of a question in the perfective/consummate mode (NB: This is NOT one composite final particle. We are just recording here the instances of two well-defined particles co-occurring in this order.CH
    矣  yǐ MC: hiX OC: ɢɯʔ 3 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • ppostadS1.post-S2marking the apodosis in a question that is a conditional sentence.CH
    已乎  yǐ hū MC: yiX hu OC: k-lɯʔ ɢaa 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • PPpostadSmarking a question whether something is certainCH
    而已乎  ér yǐ hū MC: nyi yiX hu OC: njɯ k-lɯʔ ɢaa 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • PPpostadSmarks a restrictive questions "is that all?"CH
    復  fù OC: buɡ MC: buk 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadV1.postV2is it V1 or V2, patterns: 復 V1 復 V2 or 復 V1 V2; in rhet. questions: how can it be V1 or V2;
    • vadVquestionparticle indicating or reinforcing a question
    獨  dú MC: duwk OC: dooɡ 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • padVrhetoricalmarker of rhetorical questions, expected answer: "no!"CH
    那  Click here to add pinyin OC:  MC: 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • ppostadVquestionsentence final particle corresponding roughly to modern Manadarin 呢 (indicating the speaker's assumption that his proposition is true: "S, is it not?" "it is well S"
    不乃  bù nǎi MC: pjut nojX OC: pɯʔ nɯɯʔ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • PPadSrhetoricalisn't it (exactly) a case of; n'est ce pas?, surely!CH
    也與哉  yě yú zāi MC: dzyoX yo -- OC: lalʔ k-la skɯɯ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • PPpostadSrhetoricalexclamatory rhetorical questionCH
    反  fǎn MC: pjonX OC: panʔ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • padVrhetorical questionrhetorical question particleCH
    寧  níng OC: neeŋ MC: neŋ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • padSning4: DCD: 3.豈；難道。
    • padSopen questionquestion marker