Structure :

难道 + Rhetorical question

Meaning:

Rhetorical questions use the form of a question to emphasize a point, and as such the question does not require an answer. A typical English rhetorical question might be: “you’re not saying you actually believe him are you?”. In Chinese, 难道 (nándào) is used as a marker to form this kind of question. Note that 难道 can only be used for rhetorical questions which could be answered with yes or no, and generally end with 吗.

Examples:

1. 难道 跟 我 一起 走 一辈子 不 浪漫 吗？

    Nán dào ɡēn wǒ yì qǐ zǒu yí bèi zi bú lànɡ màn mɑ

    (So “till death do us part” isn’t romantic enough for you is it?)

2. 难道 你 真的 相信 他 吗？

    Nán dào nǐ zhēn de xiānɡ xìn tā mɑ

    (You’re not telling me you actually believe this guy?)

3. 今天 是 我 的 生日，难道 你 不 知道 吗？

    Jīntiān shì wǒ de shēnɡ rì , nán dào nǐ bú zhī dào mɑ ?

    (Today’s my birthday, you’re not telling me you forgot?)

4. 难道 你 是 我 妈妈 吗？

    nán dào nǐ shì wǒ mā mɑ mɑ

     (What are you, my mother or something?)