岂不是 (wouldn't that be …?)
IntroducedA rhetorical question points to wasted effort
- A project is nearly finished. Someone proposes abandoning it now.
- now现在to renounce放弃，how? (emphatic question)岂no不是to waste (one's energy etc)白费skill功夫？ — The speaker invites agreement that abandoning it would waste the effort.
Locate the pattern in real examples
- how? (emphatic question)岂no不是 (wouldn't that be …?): this way / so这样how? (emphatic question)岂no不是even更good好?; now现在to renounce放弃,how? (emphatic question)岂no不是too太it is a pity可惜(completed / change)了?
- Read the whole clause before choosing a translation. The examples show the pattern in use; the context below determines what the speaker claims.
A project is nearly finished. Someone proposes abandoning it now. What does 现在放弃，岂不是白费功夫？ communicate?
The speaker invites agreement that abandoning it would waste the effort. Rhetorical force shows the speaker's position, not everyone else's agreement. A listener can dispute the claim; that disagreement does not make 岂不是 ungrammatical.
Follow the speaker
that那wouldn't that be岂不是even更good好？
- In the opening situation: now现在to renounce放弃，how? (emphatic question)岂no不是to waste (one's energy etc)白费skill功夫？
- The speaker invites agreement that abandoning it would waste the effort.
Using the pattern named in this lesson: Wouldn't that be even better? 那 ____ 更好?
岂不是 + clause? = wouldn't that be …?: 那岂不是更好?
岂不是 raises a point you treat as plainly true.
Yes — expects “of course”.
Check the limit of the explanation
- Rhetorical force shows the speaker's position, not everyone else's agreement.
- A listener can dispute the claim; that disagreement does not make how? (emphatic question)岂no不是 ungrammatical.
A listener is grammatically forbidden from disagreeing with a 岂不是 question.
Rhetorical force shows the speaker's position, not everyone else's agreement. A listener can dispute the claim; that disagreement does not make 岂不是 ungrammatical. The speaker invites agreement that abandoning it would waste the effort.
Repair the form before interpreting it
- The form how? (emphatic question)岂(as a resultative verb…不了to be / is是to waste (one's energy etc)白费skill功夫 needs repair here. Write how? (emphatic question)岂no不是to waste (one's energy etc)白费skill功夫 instead; keep the word or frame in its demonstrated order.
- Form and meaning are separate checks. After the repair, explain the sentence in its situation rather than treating a familiar translation as a universal rule.
Rewrite the demonstrated repair exactly: 岂不了是白费功夫
The demonstrated form is 岂不是白费功夫. The speaker invites agreement that abandoning it would waste the effort.
Keep the distinction
- The speaker invites agreement that abandoning it would waste the effort. Check the relevant speaker, time or group in the surrounding context.
- Rhetorical force shows the speaker's position, not everyone else's agreement. A listener can dispute the claim; that disagreement does not make how? (emphatic question)岂no不是 ungrammatical.
Read the full reference: HSK 6 grammar — Sentence patterns.
A 岂不是 question expects…
It's rhetorical: 岂不是白费功夫? (isn't it a waste?).
A project is nearly finished. Someone proposes abandoning it now. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.
This is supported productive practice. Compare meaning and structure; your answer need not copy the model. A partner or teacher must hear the spoken response to comment on pronunciation.