Usage note
难道常用来表示反问，带一点惊讶。
nán dào cháng yòng lái biǎo shì fǎn wèn， dài yì diǎn jīng yà。
Could it be that is often used in rhetorical questions with a bit of surprise.
Context note
难道常出现在反问和感叹里。
nán dào cháng chū xiàn zài fǎn wèn hé gǎn tàn lǐ。
Could it be that often appears in rhetorical questions and exclamations.
5 examples
难道你不知道吗？
nán dào nǐ bù zhī dào ma？
Could it be that you do not know?
难道是这样？
nán dào shì zhè yàng？
Could it be like this?
难道不是吗？
nán dào bú shì ma？
Could it not be?
难道他来了？
nán dào tā lái le？
Could it be that he came?
难道要下雨？
nán dào yào xià yǔ？
Could it be that it will rain?
5 mini stories
难道今天又要下雨吗？
nán dào jīn tiān yòu yào xià yǔ ma？
Could it be that it will rain again today?
难道他已经走了吗？
nán dào tā yǐ jīng zǒu le ma？
Could it be that he has already left?
难道这道题这么简单？
nán dào zhè dào tí zhè me jiǎn dān？
Could it be that this problem is so simple?
难道你忘记了昨天学的字？
nán dào nǐ wàng jì le zuó tiān xué de zì？
Could it be that you forgot the characters learned yesterday?
老师说难道不应该先想一想吗？
lǎo shī shuō nán dào bú yīng gāi xiān xiǎng yi xiǎng ma？
The teacher said, could it be that we should not think first?
Mini dialogue
下雨了吗？
A
外面地上湿了，难道下雨了？
Wàimiàn dìshang shī le, nándào xià yǔ le?
The ground outside is wet. Could it be that it rained?
B
对，刚才下了一点小雨。
Duì, gāngcái xià le yìdiǎn xiǎo yǔ.
Yes, it rained a little just now.
忘记带书了
A
我的书不见了，难道忘在学校了？
Wǒ de shū bú jiàn le, nándào wàng zài xuéxiào le?
My book is missing. Could it be that I left it at school?
B
别着急，我们一起去教室找找。
Bié zháojí, wǒmen yìqǐ qù jiàoshì zhǎozhao.
Don't worry. Let's go look for it in the classroom together.
Related words and contrasts
similar
莫非
mò fēi
could it be; is it possible
Used in rhetorical questions, similar to 难道 but slightly more literary.
related
是不是
shì bu shì
isn't it; right?
A common way to ask for confirmation, often used like a tag question.