歟 (yú) - Interrogative or exclamatory final particle in Classical Chinese, & used to form questions or express exclamation.

歟Tone 2

yú ｜ 17 strokes ｜ radical:

咏与

歟 · yú

Interrogative or exclamatory final particle in Classical Chinese, equivalent to '吗', '呢', or '啊' in modern Chinese;

used to form questions or express exclamation.

Interrogative or exclamatory final particle in Classical Chinese,used to form questions or express exclamation.

Usage highlights

Interrogative particleExclamatory particleClassical Chinese particleRhetorical question markerFinal particleIn classical texts

Synonyms

  • 吗— question particle in modern Chinese
  • 呢— question particle for continuation
  • 乎— classical Chinese question particle

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Is it so?(其然歟?)
  • Could this be?(岂非歟?)
  • How wonderful!(美哉歟!)
  • Is it not the case?(非歟?)

Collocations

  • Interrogative particle(疑问助词)
  • Exclamatory particle(感叹助词)
  • Classical Chinese particle(文言助词)
  • Rhetorical question marker(反诘语气)
  • Final particle(句末语气词)
  • In classical texts(古籍中出现)

Idioms

  • Is it not so?(岂非歟?)
  • How could it be?(何至于歟?)
  • Alas, is this the way?(呜呼歟?)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Primarily used in Classical Chinese literature and formal writings.
  • Appears in classical texts like the Analects of Confucius and historical records.
  • Rarely used in modern spoken Chinese, preserved mainly in literary contexts.

FAQ