莫非

• Pinyin: mò fēi
• Hanzi breakdown: 莫 = 艹(grass) + 日(sun) + 大(big) — sun setting in grass, meaning 'none/no'; 非 = two halves turned away (not/wrong)

Meaning

Could it be that...? Is it possible that...? Expresses a tentative conjecture or surprised questioning.

Used to express suspicion, surprise, or rhetorical questioning when the speaker suspects something is true but is not certain. More formal and literary than 难道. Frequently appears in written narrative and formal speech.

Examples

1. 他迟迟没有回复消息，莫非是出了什么意外？ He still hasn’t replied—could something have happened?
2. 这道题出得如此刁钻，莫非是教授故意为难学生？ This question is so tricky—could the professor be deliberately making things hard for the students?
3. 事情发展到这一步，莫非当初的决定真的错了？ Now that things have come to this, could it be that the decision we made back then was really wrong?

Usage Guide

Context: literature, formal speech, investigation, rhetorical questioning

Tone: rhetorical/questioning

Do Say

• 他突然辞职，莫非是对公司的管理方式不满？(He suddenly resigned — could it be that he was dissatisfied with the company's management?)
• 你面色苍白，莫非昨晚没有睡好？(Your face is pale — could it be that you didn't sleep well last night?)

Don't Say

• 把'莫非'用于陈述已确定的事实 (莫非 is for uncertain conjecture only — use 难道 for stronger rhetorical emphasis or 果然 for confirmed suspicions)

Origin & History

Classical Chinese: 莫(none/no) + 非(not). Together: 'could it not be that...' — a double negative forming a rhetorical conjecture.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal