Level 4 · Upper Intermediate
Rhetorical questions with 难道
难道 + … + （吗）？ · Traditional: 難道 + … + （嗎）？
难道 (nándào) turns a sentence into a "don't tell me…" rhetorical question: 难道你不知道吗？"Don't tell me you didn't know?!" You're not asking for information — you already believe the answer and you're expressing disbelief.
It usually wraps up with 吗, and the sentence must sound like a question. Note the flip: 难道 + a NEGATIVE means "surely it IS so" (难道你不想去吗？= surely you want to go).
Examples
难道你不知道今天是我的生日吗？
難道你不知道今天是我的生日嗎？
nán dào nǐ bù zhī dào jīn tiān shì wǒ de shēng rì ma
Don't tell me you didn't know today is my birthday?
都十点了，难道你还不想睡觉吗？
都十點了，難道你還不想睡覺嗎？
dōu shí diǎn le nán dào nǐ hái bù xiǎng shuì jiào ma
It's already ten — don't tell me you still don't want to sleep?
难道我说得不对吗？
難道我說得不對嗎？
nán dào wǒ shuō de bù duì ma
Are you saying I'm wrong?
这么大的雨，难道你还要出去吗？
這麼大的雨，難道你還要出去嗎？
zhè me dà de yǔ nán dào nǐ hái yào chū qù ma
It's pouring — don't tell me you're still going out?
Common mistakes
✗ 难道你不知道。
✓ 难道你不知道吗？
A 难道 sentence is still a question — it needs the question tone, usually with 吗？
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like Who Ate the Cake? (Part 1) inside the Literate Chinese app.
