莫不是

mòbúshì
adverb #84,643

Meanings

  1. 1 could it be that...?
  2. 2 is it possible that...?
  3. 3 perhaps
  4. 4 maybe

Examples

Tā hái méi huílái, mòbúshì chū le shénme shì?
He hasn't come back yet — could something have happened?
Nǐ liǎnsè zhème chà, mòbúshì bìng le?
You look so pale — could it be that you're sick?

Tips

usage
Introduces a worried guess at an unwelcome possibility. Functionally similar to 莫非 (mòfēi). Rhetorical — speaker isn't really asking, they're voicing a suspicion.
register
Slightly literary tone. In modern colloquial speech 难道 (nándào) or 不会 (gāi bú huì) cover the same ground.

Stroke Order

shì