何尝 (hé cháng) — (rhetorical adverb) how could it be that... (used with a negative to affirm the opposite)

Definition

Rhetorical adverb: 'it's not that…' — pairs with a negative to affirm the opposite (e.g. 我何尝不想去 = it's not that I don't want to).

adverb
(rhetorical adverb) how could it be that... (used with a negative to affirm the opposite)

Examples

  • 何尝，。
    Wǒ hé cháng bù xiǎng qù, zhǐ shì tài máng le.
    It's not that I don't want to go; I'm just too busy.
  • 何尝，。
    Tā hé cháng méi jìn lì, zhǐ shì duì shǒu tài qiáng.
    It's not that he didn't try his best; the opponent was just too strong.
  • 何尝，。
    Tā hé cháng bú ài tā, zhǐ shì xìng gé bù hé.
    It's not that she doesn't love him; their personalities just don't match.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

何héhow
尝chángever

“何” asks how, and “尝” evokes any former occasion, making a rhetorical challenge to a negative idea.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form of 何 drew a person carrying something on their shoulder. If the carried thing was a 戈, the 人 and 戈 parts together showed that picture.

Open 何 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 嘗; 尝 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 尝 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (尝, 尝试) it is 嘗; in others (品尝) it is 嚐.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
旨旨zhǐtasty
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng嘗cháng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 嘗 pairs 旨 (tasty) with 尚, which supplies the sound; the simplified 尝 is a later shorthand.

Open 尝 →

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