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I think a better example wouldn't use 是. For example: 你去不去商店吗? (Are you going to the store?) The way to answer is either going (去) or not going (不去). There ar
by blagie 4y ago
I think a better example wouldn't use 是. For example:
你去不去商店吗? (Are you going to the store?)
The way to answer is either going (去) or not going (不去). There are a lot of phrase for "that's right" or similar, but that's not the same as "yes."
Mandarin has no word directly mapping to "yes."
- thaumasiotes 4y agoI put the 是 in that example on purpose, because it forces the response 是的 to be ambiguous between opposite meanings. Your example is not in the form of a yes-or-no question[1], so it's not surprising or interesting that the answer can't be "yes". We see exactly the same phenomenon in English: Q: Are you going to the store or staying home? A: *Yes [1] Admittedly, the presence of 吗 makes this claim weaker.
- blagie 4y agoSorry. Typo. Take 你去商店吗 (I started typing 你去不去商店 and changed part-way)