Chinese word

莫非

Pronunciation

Pinyinmò fēi

Meaning

  • adverbcould it be

Example

莫非他不来了？mò fēi tā bù lái le

Could it be that he isn't coming?

Illustration for 莫非 (could it be)

More examples

他说已经解决了，莫非早就不需要我们帮忙了？tā shuō yǐ jīng jiě jué le mò fēi zǎo jiù bù xū yào wǒ men bāng máng le

He said he had already solved it; could it be that he has not needed our help for a long time?

Core concept

A question that puts a surprising possibility under doubt, often with a sense that it cannot be true.

Common phrases

  • 莫非早就mò fēi zǎo jiù

    could it have been long ago

Similar words

难道nán dào: Asks with strong disbelief whether something could really be true, expecting a negative answer.
莫不是mò bú shì: Uses surprise and suspicion to ask whether a possible situation is actually the case.
会不会huì bú huì: Gently asks in conversational speech whether something may happen or may be the case.

Definition in Chinese

表示怀疑或惊讶的反问副词，用于提出猜测或否定的设问，相当于“难道……？”biǎo shì huái yí huò jīng yà de fǎn wèn fù cí yòng yú tí chū cāi cè huò fǒu dìng de shè wèn xiāng dāng yú nán dào

Word origin

莫非 (mòfēi, "could it be") is formed from 莫 (mò, "not") + 非 (fēi, "be wrong"), two old negative elements that frame a possibility as one the speaker finds hard to accept.

Usage tips

  • 莫非 (mòfēi, "could it be") can sound literary or weighty in casual conversation, so its appearance often gives a question a serious or dramatic tone.

Other meanings

  • surely notadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word