Sentence patternsHSK 6
"Could it be that" with "岂不是"
岂不是 is a formal way to pose a rhetorical question, meaning "isn't it that..." or "could it be that...". It emphasizes what the speaker considers obvious, so the answer is already assumed. It typically begins a new clause or sentence.
Structure
岂不是 + [statement] ？
creates a rhetorical question implying the statement should be obvious
Examples
- 你岂不是在开玩笑吗？Nǐ qǐ bú shì zài kāi wán xiào ma?Aren't you kidding?
- 这样做岂不是更好？Zhè yàng zuò qǐ bú shì gèng hǎo?Isn't it better to do it this way?
- 他岂不是已经知道了？Tā qǐ bú shì yǐ jīng zhī dào le?Could it be that he already knew?
- 我们现在走岂不是太早了？Wǒ men xiàn zài zǒu qǐ bú shì tài zǎo le?Isn't it too early for us to leave now?
- 如果不去，岂不是错过了机会？Rú guǒ bú qù, qǐ bú shì cuò guò le jī huì?If we don’t go, wouldn’t we be missing the opportunity?