nán​dào​shì

could it be that

  1. [rhetorical question]
    Used in rhetorical questions to emphasize disbelief or surprise; often used in the patterns 难道...吗 nán​dào... ma or 难道...不成 nán​dào... bù​chéng, meaning "could it be that..." or "is it possible that..."
  2. to be
    to be; to correspond to; connects a subject to its identification, characterization, or identity