什么时候发过这种善心呢
“when have they ever been so kind?”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
这岛上的日本人
“The Japanese on this island,”
什么时候发过 这种 善心 呢
“when have they ever been so kind?”
他竟然解除海禁
“For them to actually lift the sea ban”
“They never do anything good without an ulterior motive, so watch out.”
Using '什么时候...过' frames an inquiry as an assertion of impossibility, commonly used to remind peers of an adversary's true nature.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
To show benevolence / to perform an act of charity or kindness
Often used sarcastically in spoken Chinese to question someone's sudden or uncharacteristic generosity.
Softens the rhetorical question while sustaining focus on the doubt.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“I've been shown a lot of kindness lately.”
“those overflowing with kindness”
“I did it out of kindness.”
“you would show such kindness to a rookie?”
“Do you have any compassion?”