Doubt: Harder Than You'd Suspect

Quiz time!

1. Look at the picture

2. Answer the question (to yourself)

3. Check the answer below (no peeking!)

Question

This is a picture of graffiti advertising for machine drilling a new well (jī zuàn jǐng 机钻井). I asked my students why there were so many phone numbers advertising the same exact thing. Some students said the numbers all belong to the same person. Other students disagreed. One student said, in Chinese:

Wǒ huáiyí zhèxiē hàomǎ dōu shì yí gè rén de.我怀疑这些号码都是一个人的.

And the debate went on.

What is the correct English translation of that sentence?

Feel free to use a dictionary. Click the hanzi above to use an online one.

Write down or at least say aloud what you think the correct translation should be before reading on. The answer has nothing to do with the context of the situation. There is one grammatically correct answer.

Answer

Wrong: I doubt these numbers are all one person's.

Correct: I suspect these numbers are all one person's.

The Problem

huáiyí 怀疑 = doubt / suspect.

But "doubt" and "suspect" have opposites meanings in English!

So how do we know what native speakers mean when they use huáiyí 怀疑? And how do we find know what we really said if we use it?

The Solution

Let's first look at what you have to say in Chinese if you really want to say:

"I doubt these numbers are all one person's."wǒ huáiyí zhèxiē hàomǎ dōu bú shì yí gè rén de.我怀疑这些号码都不是一个人的.

So here's how I suggest dealing with huáiyí 怀疑 in different grammatical situations:

1. huáiyí 怀疑 + Independent Noun Clause (contains Subject and Verb, even if the Subject is implied)

In this case, huáiyí 怀疑 = rènwéi 认为 = "suspect" = "think."

The original sentence:

Wǒ huáiyí zhèxiē hàomǎ dōu shì yí gè rén de.我怀疑这些号码都是一个人的.

Basically means:

Wǒ rènwéi zhèxiē hàomǎ dōu shì yí gè rén de.我认为这些号码都是一个人的.

Which can be translated as:

I suspect these numbers are all one person's.- or -I think these number are all one person's.

2. huáiyí 怀疑 + (nothing)- or -huáiyí 怀疑 + Noun

In this case, huáiyí 怀疑 = "doubt."

For example:

A: tā shuō tā huì lái.他说他会来.He said he'll come.

B: wǒ huáiyí.我怀疑.I doubt it.

- or -

B: wǒ huáiyí tā shuō de huà.我怀疑他说的话.I doubt what he said.

3. huáiyí 怀疑 + Phrase containing "Verb Not Verb"

In this case, huáiyí 怀疑 = "doubt" + Verb

For example:

wǒ huáiyí tā huì bú huì lái.我怀疑他会不会来.I doubt he'll come.

So in summary, if huáiyí 怀疑 is used:

1. Before a "complete sentence" (independent clause), like "these numbers are all one person's," then it means "suspect" or "think."

2. By itself or before a "thing" (noun or dependent noun clause), like "what he said," then it means "doubt."

3. Before a "verb not verb" phrase, like "tā huì bú huì lái 他会不会来," then it means "doubt" and you just get rid of the "not verb" (bú huì 不会) part.

If anyone else has a better way of keeping "doubt" and "suspect" straight, I'm all ears.