Use of 耶

[wangbang]

I got sucked into watching Hani Kimi, and I noticed that they use 耶 (yē) a lot at the end of their sentences. A dictionary look up didn't reveal much other than it was a particle. What exactly is 耶 used for, and what does it mean? Thanks!

[Susanna]

“耶”在古代文言文里，表示反问或疑问，相当于“呢”或“吗”

如：“独不怜公子姊耶？”。“是耶非耶？”。

在现代，“耶”字没有实际的意义，只是一个语气词，在台湾地区用得较多，如“我吃饭了耶”,“好耶”

“耶”表示一种兴奋的情绪，去掉“耶”字不影响句子意义

In ancient china, “耶“ indicates rhetorical

In modern china, it’s just a particle, has no actual meaning, used a lot in Taiwan

for example:

“我吃饭了耶”,“好耶”

“耶” indicates a happy mood. make no difference with or without it to the sentence.

[againstwind]

耶 ye4 is an exclamation which is usually at the end of a sentence and may express speaker's feeling of delight, like 好耶！. And I feel that southerners, especially Cantonese and Taiwanese prefer to using it. (Not for sure. May anyone knowing it correct me?) Besides, it's a quite girlish exclamation. If your little daughter or lovely girl-friend use 耶 ye4, that will be acceptable. However, if a tough man likes using it, that will be a nightmare.

[djwebb2004]

What about 丫? I was watching a Chinese film set in Beijing, and a Chinese friend said that actually the subtitles excluded a lot of 丫's that occurred in most sentences but was said so quickly that I hadn't noticed anything was not being transcribed. What does 丫 mean? This question h as nothign to do with 丫头

[againstwind]

What about 丫? I was watching a Chinese film set in Beijing

If it is set in Beijing, 丫 will probably be a "f-word".

Just forget it.

[djwebb2004]

Why just forget it? If the character is part of the language it is worth studying. You didn't explain the use of this character.

[againstwind]

I admit that as a part of language it is worth studying. But it is a dirty word in Beijing which is usually inserted in sentences without a concrete meaning, somewhat like the f-word in English.