哉 (zāi) — (literary particle, sentence-final) expresses exclamation or rhetorical interrogation
Definition
A classical, sentence-final particle (no modern use) used in exclamations ('How ...!') and rhetorical questions ('Is it not ...?'). Seen mostly in fixed phrases like 不亦...哉 and 岂非...哉 from classical Chinese.
bound form
(literary particle, sentence-final) expresses exclamation or rhetorical interrogation
Examples
- 哉！Bú yì kuài zāi!Isn't it delightful!
- 哉，！Měi zāi, qīng shān lǜ shuǐ!How beautiful the green mountains and clear waters are!
- 哉？Qǐ fēi tiān zāi?Is it not fate?
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢦏
𢦏𢦏哉zāi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
哉 pairs 口 (mouth) with 𢦏, which gives the sound.
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