特殊疑问句与疑问代词
tèshū yíwènjù yú yíwèn dàicí
Author: Youxuan Wang
Date: 2011-10-14
Contents
What is special about the special question?
Unlike a general question which is intended to resolve an uncertainty, a special question is intended to secure a piece of specific information concerning, for instance:
· the identity of a person: shuí 谁; nǎwèi 哪位
· the location of an event: nǎr 哪儿
· the time of an event: shéme shíhòu 什么时候
· the purpose of an action: shénme yuányīn 什么原因
· the method of a job: zěnme 怎么，rúhé 如何
· the quantity of some objects: duōshao 多少, jǐ 几.
What is an interrogative pronoun?
An interrogative pronoun is a like a variable in a mathematical formula. As such it is not a term, but a placeholder in a formula yet to be occupied by a term. For example, in x + 2 = 5, x is not a number, but a placeholder where any real number can be filled in. If x is occupied by 3, we get a true statement: 3 + 2 = 5. If it is occupied by any other real number, we get a false statement.An interrogative pronoun is used to generate an interrogative statement when the speaker intends to obtain a piece of specific information. For instance, if you want to turn x + 2 = 5 into a question, you might say:
2加多少等于5？Èr jiā duōshao děngyu wǔ? (What number plus 2 equals 5?)
In the above sentence, the interrogative pronoun ‘多少’ is actually a placeholder like x in ‘x + 3 = 5’. The question ‘2加多少等于5?’ is answered correctly only when the place marked by ‘多少’ is occupied by the real number 3: “2加3等于5”（Èr jiā sān děngyu wǔ）. Here, the real number is the specific information sought for in the question ‘2加多少等于5?’.
A list of interrogative pronouns
| Int. Pr. | Pinyin | Meaning | Sentence examples |
| 谁 | shuí | who; whom | A: 你们的老师是谁？ B: 我们的老师是王老师。 (Specific information: 王老师) |
| 什么 | shénme | what | A: 你在学习什么？ B: 我在学习汉语。 (Specific information: 汉语) |
| 哪 | nǎ | which | A: 哪位是王老师？ B: 左边那位是王老师。 (Specific information: 左边那位) |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where | A: 你在哪儿学习汉语? B: 我在北京学习汉语。 (Specific information: 北京) |
| 什么时候 | Shénme shíhòu | when；what time | A: 现在是什么时候了? B: 现在是中午了。 (Specific information: 中午) |
| 几 | jǐ | how many/much | A: 你要买几斤苹果？ B: 我要买四斤苹果。 (Specific information: 四斤) |
| 多少 | duōshao | 几 | A: 多少钱一斤橘子？ B: 两块钱一斤橘子。 (Specific information: 两块) |
| 怎么 | zěnme | how | A: 你怎么知道我在这儿？ B: 我问了你的妻子。 (Specific information: 我问了你的妻子。) |
| 怎样 | zěnyàng | how | A: 怎样才能把声调学好？ (How can I get my tones right?) B: 要特别注意每个声调的调值。 (You should pay particular attention to the pitch values of each tone.) (Specific information: 要注意每个声调的调值。) |
Note: Please concentrate on those which figure in our textbook.
Exercises
(i) My SlideShare. ‘Lessons 08-10’, slide 7. URL: <http://www.slideshare.net/eusonking/lessons-0810>
(ii) Hanyu Jiaocheng, I-a, pp. 104-105.
Related articles
- Alternative question
- General question
- Special question
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