TSUMUGU · TBCL 2 (est.) · 語法
呢
grammar point · tier 3 · reprise question 呢 (and you? / what about …?)
· ne
Sentence-final particle: names a new topic and hands the previous predicate to it, so the predicate is left unsaid.
字源 FORM what the parts do
呢 sits at the end with a mouth (口); 尼 gives the sound, worn toneless; it carries no predicate of its own.
故事 STORY a scene to remember it by
One person finishes answering, the mouth (口) still open, and the question lands on the next person to fill in the same way.
字源記憶法
觸 · Trigger
You have just stated something about A, and want to ask the same of B without repeating it.
序 · The move
1State the first clause in full.Is there a predicate already on the table to reuse?
2Name only the new topic, drop the predicate.Did I leave out the verb/predicate that 呢 will inherit?
3Close with 呢？Would a listener fill the blank with the prior predicate? If not, the prior clause was missing.
例 · Examples
1他he是is德國人German (person)，你you呢and …? (reprise)？
He is German, and you?
界 · Boundary
嗎嗎 keeps the predicate and asks if it is true (你是德國人嗎？). 呢1 drops the predicate and reuses the one just said (……，你呢？).
哪裡Both can end a clause, but 哪裡 asks for a place. 呢1 asks nothing new — it re-poses the standing predicate onto a fresh topic.
他是德國人，你是德國人呢？ → 他是德國人，你呢？
你呢是學生？ → 你是學生嗎？ (no prior predicate to inherit, so 呢1 does not apply)
他喜歡茶，你喜歡嗎呢？ → 他喜歡茶，你呢？
English keeps the auxiliary in the tag ("…, and are you?", "…, do you?"). 呢1 carries no verb at all: the topic plus 呢 is the whole question.