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Hǎo ma 好吗, kěyǐ ma 可以吗, xíng ma 行吗, zěnmeyàng 怎么样 are expressions added to the end of a sentence to ask for agreement, permission, feasibility, or an opinion. On the other hand, shì bú shì 是不是 is used to seek confirmation from the listener. They are highly common in spoken Chinese and are often categorized as confirmation questions or tag questions. They play a key role in interpersonal interaction in social politeness.
- hǎo ma 好吗 ‘Is that okay?’
- This ending is used after a suggestion when the speaker expects the listener to probably agree and just wants to check gently. It sounds soft and friendly and often creates a sense of inclusion.
- kěyǐ ma 可以吗 ‘May I? / Is it allowed?’
- This ending typically asks for permission or possibility. It is more polite and careful in tone and works well when talking to someone with more power or responsibility.
- xíng ma 行吗 ‘Will that work?’
- This ending is used to check whether a plan or arrangement is workable. It sounds efficient and neutral, sometimes a little brisk, as if the speaker is focusing on whether something is practical rather than on feelings.
- zěnmeyàng 怎么样 ‘How is it? / What do you think? / How about…?’
- This expression invites the other person to give an opinion or evaluation. It is open-ended and consultative, leaving space for different answers
- shì bú shì 是不是 ‘…isn’t it/is it?’
This expression is used to ask for verification of a statement or assumption.
Structure
Basic structure
These interrogative expressions appear at the end of a suggestion or statement, while the part of the sentence before these tag questions keeps the declarative word order. In the written language, they are usually preceded by a comma. The preceding clause can be a noun phrase, verb phrase, or full sentence.
Note: For the non-tag-question use of zěnmeyàng 怎么样, see the entry on the interrogative pronouns zěnmeyàng 怎么样 and zěnyàng 怎样.
Negation
These sentence-final interrogative phrases do not themselves contain negation, but they are often used with negative suggestions formed with bù 不 or bié 别 to express a polite refusal or to make a proposal sound less direct.
Functions
1. Asking for approval, feasibility or permission
好吗/行吗/可以吗？are used to assess whether something is allowed, possible, or acceptable to the listener.
2. Seeking suggestions or opinions
Zěnmeyàng 怎么样 ‘How is it? / What do you think?’ is often used to seek someone’s opinion or to evaluate a plan/situation.
3. Making an invitation or offers
Tag questions can express a polite invitation or an offer.
4. Expressing small requests
These tag questions also allow the speaker to make small requests or to ask for something politely, providing the listener with an option to refuse.
5. Shì bú shì 是不是 checking or confirming whether something is true
Shì bú shì 是不是 is used to check whether a statement, assumption, or impression is correct. It can appear at the end of a sentence as a tag question, or be placed inside the sentence as an A-not-A question. The basic meaning remains the same, although the sentence-final form often sounds more like seeking confirmation of something the speaker already believes.