HSK 3
语气副词:白、并、当然、到底、反正、根本、果然、简直、绝对、难道、其实、千万、确实、只好、终于
yǔ qì fù cí : bái 、 bìng 、 dāng rán 、 dào dǐ 、 fǎn zhèng 、 gēn běn 、 guǒ rán 、 jiǎn zhí 、 jué duì 、 nán dào 、 qí shí 、 qiān wàn 、 què shí 、 zhǐ hǎo 、 zhōng yú
Adverbs expressing mood/tone (mood, nuance)
Explanation
This is a group of mood particles in adverb form — that is, adverbs (adverb → a word that modifies a verb or an adjective) that express the speaker's attitude or emotion (语气副词 yǔqì fùcí – mood adverbs). They do not change the core meaning of the sentence but add a nuance.
place this adverb before the verb or adjective, usually after the subject (subject → the person or thing performing the action, at the start of the sentence). For example: 我白去了 (白 bái – in vain); 并没有 (并 bìng – emphasizing negation: not at all, by no means); 当然 (dāngrán – of course); 到底 (dàodǐ – after all); 反正 (fǎnzhèng – anyway); 根本 (gēnběn – at all, usually with negation); 果然 (guǒrán – sure enough, just as predicted); 简直 (jiǎnzhí – simply, just like); 绝对 (juéduì – absolutely); 难道 (nándào – can it be that, in a rhetorical question); 其实 (qíshí – actually); 千万 (qiānwàn – be sure to, by all means); 确实 (quèshí – indeed); 只好 (zhǐhǎo – have no choice but to); 终于 (zhōngyú – finally).
when you want to emphasize an attitude — complaining that something was in vain (白), rebutting (并/根本), affirming with certainty (当然/绝对/确实), pressing/questioning (到底/难道), reluctance (只好), reaching a result after waiting (终于).
难道 must go with a rhetorical question ending in 吗; 千万 is only used in sentences of advice/reminder (千万要...), not for something that has already happened; 终于 is used only for a positive, awaited result, unlike 最后 (zuìhòu), which merely indicates last in order.
Examples
The teacher is not in the office; I went in vain.
This exam was actually not as easy as they said.
Students of course should do their homework.
After all, is he a teacher or a student?
I don't know who did it, but anyway it wasn't me.
She doesn't believe me at all.
The weather forecast said it would rain, and sure enough, look, it really did.
This paper flower is so beautiful, it's simply just like a real flower.
He would absolutely never do such a thing; I trust him.
Everyone else can learn it, so can it be that I alone cannot?
Everyone thought he had gone back to his home country, but actually he went traveling in the south.
Tomorrow you must be sure to come back a bit early.
The situation this time is indeed extremely urgent.
I got sick, so I had no choice but to ask the teacher for leave.
He studied hard for a whole month and finally passed all the exams smoothly.
Practice
Test your understanding with a quick quiz
Learn “语气副词:白、并、当然、到底、反正、根本、果然、简直、绝对、难道、其实、千万、确实、只好、终于” effectively
The grammar point “语气副词:白、并、当然、到底、反正、根本、果然、简直、绝对、难道、其实、千万、确实、只好、终于” (Adverbs expressing mood/tone (mood, nuance)) is one of the key structures at HSK 3. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
Study tip: read the examples aloud many times to build a natural reflex. Then try making your own sentences for your own situations. Use the audio button to hear and practice accurate pronunciation.
You can also view the full “” lesson to understand the related grammar and vocabulary more deeply.