Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:14] Speaker B: HSK3 podcast. Welcome to our podcast, Level 3.
I'm your old friend Melanie, and today we're also with our old friend Vicky. Vicky Nihama.
I'm a bit busy recently.
[00:00:41] Speaker A: Oh no.
[00:00:48] Speaker B: I'm busy with my work.
[00:00:50] Speaker A: Oh, I see.
[00:01:15] Speaker B: Coder and coder.
What are we going to learn today?
[00:01:38] Speaker A: We're going to learn the rhetorical questions.
[00:01:44] Speaker B: Oh, wow. Rhetorical questions.
So what is rhetorical questions? So when you use a rhetorical question, the answer is actually quite obvious and you don't really need someone else to respond your question.
Exactly.
Dialogue.
So let's all learn it together.
Okay, so before we start, you're listening to the Hanyu Chinese School podcast. If you're learning Chinese and want to take your skills to the next level, you're going to love this episode. And if you like to learn with us, you can try a free one on one class. Through our platform.
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Okay, as you roll, we will start with a very useful dialogue. But it's fictional.
And the setting of the dialogue is two friends are chatting in a cafe after a long day at work.
[00:04:05] Speaker A: Wo Zheng Xiang Fang Song Yi Xia.
[00:04:11] Speaker B: Okay, so today we're learning how to use fan Wen ju rhetorical questions with non blah blah ma, which means how could someone.
So this is a type of rhetorical question. The speaker isn't really asking for an answer. They are emphasizing that the result is obvious and unavoidable. So the tone often carries emotion. For example, surprise, Jingxi, helpless sympathy, or even criticism.
[00:04:49] Speaker A: Yes. So let's dive into the structure. You have n plus the situation plus verb plus ma.
So it's equal to say, given this situation, how could someone not blah blah blah. So let's see some example from the dialogue.
I worked overtime until late yesterday. How could I not be tired today?
You didn't eat lunch. How could you not be hungry?
[00:05:36] Speaker B: Very good.
Let us see more examples first.
Sorry.
Okay, so Yesterday you ran 10 kilometers. How could you not be sore today?
And.
It's so cold. And you're wearing so little. How could you not catch a cold?
[00:06:18] Speaker A: Yes. So the.
It's very important to see the difference between a normal question and a rhetorical question.
So let's see some examples.
A normal question example is are you tired today? This is a real question looking for an answer. But the rhetorical One the Fang Wenzhu. It's like.
You slept late yesterday. How could you not be tired today? It's not a real question. The answer is obvious.
[00:07:12] Speaker B: So using the structure isn't actually about asking a question. It just makes your tone sound more natural and expressive.
[00:07:25] Speaker A: Exactly. So it's not a question, a real question. It's a way to emphasize the obvious. So now let's see if you can try one.
[00:07:39] Speaker B: Okay, now it's your turn.
So how do you say this sentence in Chinese?
It's raining outside today. How could you play basketball?
[00:07:56] Speaker A: Remember to use this structure.
We'll give you the answer later in this episode.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: Please have a try.
Okay, now let's move back to our dialogue. And do you remember what we have learned? The rhetorical question.
We have a lot of examples in this dialogue.
Vicky.
Vicky, you look so tired today.
[00:08:36] Speaker A: I work overtime until like yesterday. How could I not be tired today?
[00:08:48] Speaker B: Exactly. And you didn't eat lunch. How could you not be hungry?
[00:09:00] Speaker A: Yes, and I just.
And just now I had a two hour meeting without drinking even one cup of water. How could I not be thirsty?
[00:09:13] Speaker B: I.
Oh no, you've really worked hard. After work, shall we go eat something nice?
[00:09:34] Speaker A: Sure. I really want to relax.
[00:09:38] Speaker B: Sounds good.
Okay. So did you notice we used so many blah blah.
And also we reviewed the grammar we learned last time.
It's complete negation.
I didn't drink even one cup of water.
[00:10:02] Speaker A: Exactly. So before we dive into our next section, are you enjoying this episode? With our classes you can make even more progress. We are the top ready online academy with over 3,000 satisfied students. And we have an overall rating on Trustpilot of 4.8 out of 5 based on 200 reviews. We offer courses starting from just €39 including group crisis recording lessons and a 24,7 learning platform. And if you like to start step by step, try try a free class and see it for yourself, just Visit our website hyenchines.com you can find everything there. Or you can even scan the CURA right here on the page. Or listen to all our podcast episode. On our campus we have all all our podcasts organized in platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Twitch, Apple Podcast.
So just visit our website and let you can visit campus.hyintineschool.com podcast and for English podcast you also have campus.trinland.com podcast.
So see it for yourself, sincere Vicky.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: Okay, so for today's cultural insight, what we gonna learn? Okay, today we're diving into a fascinating part of modern Chinese culture. Trainee foods on Douyin A Chinese TikTok. That's the Chinese version of TikTok.
So. Yeah, look at the pictures. Wow.
Yeah.
[00:11:54] Speaker A: In China, food trends can spread unbearably fast. One day one has heard of it, and the next day everyone wants their boyfriends to buy it for them. It's not always about taste and often is about how it looks on camera. Like on Instagram. Right?
[00:12:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
And a perfect example is here, the Strawberry Tower. So imagine a pyramid made of dozens of bright red strawberries stacked together and sometimes decorated with cream or chocolate. It looks romantic, picture perfect, and instantly Instagrammable. Or should I say douyin aboard a tick tockable?
[00:12:44] Speaker A: Yeah, that's right.
But here's the secret most people don't know. It's incredible impractical. The strawberries are slippery. The tower is unstable.
It often collapse before you even get home. So. So some people joke online that you need an insurance just to carry it safely.
[00:13:08] Speaker B: Yeah, look. Wow. What a high tower of strawberry. We have strawberry cream and chocolate. Vicky, what is that in Chinese?
[00:13:21] Speaker A: Ah, chow. Curly.
[00:13:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
Do you like chocolates?
[00:13:29] Speaker A: You can leave it in the comments.
[00:13:31] Speaker B: If you like it, let us know. Okay.
How the. Oh, what is that? So another viral food is the tin skewers, a huge row of grade meat skewers, often presented dramatically as a single gift.
Well, it's lots about enjoying the food and more about the visual impact.
So if your boyfriend shows up with 10 skewers, it's like saying, look how much effort I put in, how much I love you.
[00:14:14] Speaker A: What's interesting is how this food represents more than eating.
They show the intersection of romantic expectations, social media pressure, and customer culture.
Girls post them online to show, oh, as Melanie say, look what he. Look he got for me. It becomes a kind of a modern love language. Like.
[00:14:42] Speaker B: Right, like, wow, what is showing off?
[00:14:47] Speaker A: Yeah, of course, of course.
[00:14:51] Speaker B: Okay, so.
But there's a downside too. So once the trend goes viral, copycat shops rush to sell their own versions. So quality drops. Food hygiene can be questionable. And sometimes the product is more hype than substance.
So people buy it for the photo, not for the flavor. They buy it just for showing off, not for eating it.
[00:15:23] Speaker A: Exactly. It's fascinating.
It's a fascinating reminder that in China today, food is not just about taste or nutrition. It's about status, aesthetics, and shareability.
And that's why food like the Strawberry Tower or the ten Skewers can say as much about relationship and society as they do about eating.
Like, same in Western culture. Like, everything should be instagrammal did you see like other trends similar to the 10 skewers or the Strawberry Towers? You can leave it in the comments if you know about kind of the same trend.
Trendy food.
[00:16:14] Speaker B: Yes. Let us know.
You can write them in Chinese.
Okay, so do you remember our previous question?
[00:16:30] Speaker A: So earlier we asked you how to say it's raining outside today. How could you play basketball?
[00:16:41] Speaker B: So the correct answer is.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: Great if you got it right, if not, it's okay.
[00:17:00] Speaker B: Don't be upset.
Keep trying. Jishu Sushiba.
Okay, now it's your turn. Can you make your own rhetorical questions using today's grammar?
So when write your own sentence with blah blah ma or in the comments.
[00:17:30] Speaker A: For example, think about studying, eating or the weather.
To write your own sentence with blah blah blah.
[00:17:43] Speaker B: Yes, and we can't wait to see your comments.
Hua Ying Da Jia, welcome.
Okay, so thanks for staying with us until the end. If you want to truly learn Chinese with real teachers and a clear method, welcome to Visit our website hineshrineschool.com and book your free class. We have courses starting from just €39. And we have live classes, recordings and a complete platform to help you progress step by step. Plus, all of our podcasts are organized in the campus, so you can track your progress on our website campuschool.com/podcast or campus.trinland.compodcast. see you in class.
Today we learned how to use the rhetorical question to make to ask a question, but not really for the answer. But it's a powerful way to show obvious results and emotions.
[00:18:53] Speaker A: Yes. And in our cultural segment, we explore the trendy foods on Douyin, from strawberry towers to barbecue skewers. And how online trends can be both fun and problematic at the same time.
[00:19:11] Speaker B: And next time we will study how to use to talk about possibility, not just ability. Not Hui Shuo Zhong Wen the hui there.
Yes.
[00:19:24] Speaker A: That's a very useful structure you can use in daily life. So don't miss our next episode. Stay tuned and we'll see you in the next episode. Thank you for staying. Remember to like our video and subscribe for more episode and see you in class then.
[00:19:49] Speaker B: See you next time.
