欤 (yú) - A classical Chinese particle used at the end & equivalent to modern 吗, 呢, or 吧.

欤Tone 2

yú ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 欠

咏与

欤 · yú

A classical Chinese particle used at the end of a sentence to express questioning, exclamation, or supposition;

equivalent to modern 吗, 呢, or 吧.

A classical Chinese particle used at the endequivalent to modern 吗, 呢, or 吧.

Usage highlights

Classical particleInterrogative particleExclamatory particleRhetorical questionLiterary ChineseClassical text

Synonyms

  • 乎— classical interrogative particle
  • 耶— classical question particle
  • 哉— classical exclamatory particle

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Is it not so?(其可怪也欤?)
  • How difficult it is!(难矣哉欤!)
  • Let's go, shall we?(归去来欤!)

Collocations

  • Classical particle(欤)
  • Interrogative particle(疑问助词)
  • Exclamatory particle(感叹助词)
  • Rhetorical question(反诘语气)
  • Literary Chinese(文言文)
  • Classical text(古典文献)

Idioms

  • How could this be?(岂非天意欤?)
  • Is it not appropriate?(不亦宜乎欤?)
  • What more could one wish for?(复何求欤?)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Primarily used in classical Chinese literature and formal writings.
  • Functions as a versatile sentence-final particle conveying various moods and attitudes.
  • Rarely used in modern spoken Chinese but appears in literary contexts and historical texts.

FAQ