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How to say “could it be that” in Chinese with 莫非 (mòfēi)

莫非 (mòfēi) + Speculation?

Expressing "could it be possible that" with "莫非 (mòfēi)"

HSK 6Sentence patterns

Rule structure

莫非 (mòfēi) is a formal/literary equivalent of 难道 (nándào). It expresses a surprised conjecture, often with a tone of disbelief. "Could it be that…?".

Examples

莫非他生病了？

Mòfēi tā shēngbìng le?

Could it be that he’s sick?

Practice

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Frequently asked questions

How do you express “Expressing "could it be possible that" with "莫非 (mòfēi)"” in Chinese?

Use the structure: 莫非 (mòfēi) + Speculation?. For example: 莫非他生病了？ — “Could it be that he’s sick?”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

莫非他生病了？ — “Could it be that he’s sick?”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 6.

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More HSK 6 grammar rules

Expressing "must" with "非得 (fēiděi)"

Subj. + 非得 (fēiděi) + Verb Phrase + 不可 (bùkě) / 才行 (cái xíng)

Expressing "at the same time" with "兼 (jiān)"

兼 (jiān) + Noun / Verb (concurrently)

Expressing "similar to" with "跟 (gēn) … 似的 (shìde)"

跟 (gēn) + Noun + 似的 (shìde) — as if, like

Expressing "to be worthy of" with "不愧是 (bùkuì shì)"

不愧是 (bùkuì shì) + Noun / Noun Phrase

Expressing "nothing is more…than" with "莫过于 (mòguòyú)"

莫过于 (mòguòyú) + Noun / Verb Phrase

"Could it be that" with "岂不是 (qǐ bù shì)"

岂不是 (qǐ bù shì) + Rhetorical Question

Expressing "from this" with "由此 (yóucǐ)"

由此 (yóucǐ) + Verb / Clause (hence, thus)

Adding emphasis with "非 (fēi) … 不可 (bùkě)"

非 (fēi) + Verb / Noun + 不可 (bùkě)