HSK 4
还X呢
hái X ne
还...呢 (a sarcastic expression)
Explanation
还X呢 (hái X ne) is a sarcastic, mocking expression that implicitly ridicules the target as unworthy of the title X. 还 hái here carries the nuance of "and you call yourself, how dare", and 呢 ne is a mood particle (a function word expressing sentence nuance) placed at the end.
还 hái + X + 呢 ne, where X is a noun/noun phrase naming the title being mocked (还名牌儿呢 = "and you call it a brand name!"). It usually comes at the start of the sentence, followed by the reason for rejecting that title.
when you want to show contempt or disdain, sneering that a person/thing is unworthy of the reputation assigned to it (a supposed brand name that's poor, a supposed expert who's bad...).
this is colloquial with a sarcastic tone; it is not used in formal situations because it can easily offend.
dropping the 呢 ne at the end, which loses the sarcastic nuance; or understanding 还 in its ordinary sense of "still, in addition" without recognizing the mocking intent.
Examples
And you call it a brand name! I've never even heard of it.
And you call him a famous expert! His level isn't even as high as mine.
And you call him a famous poet! This poem is written so badly even I can't understand it.
Practice
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Learn “还X呢” effectively
The grammar point “还X呢” (还...呢 (a sarcastic expression)) is one of the key structures at HSK 4. 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.
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