Abstract
This article focuses on a synchronic analysis of the modal auxiliary verbs ke and ke yCe in Han period Chinese. The study reveals that in Han period Chinese ke andke yC predominantly express root possibility values, while deontic values are mainly restricted to the negated form of the construction. Propositional values (either epistemic or evidential) are almost non-existent and co-occurr only with verbs that licence an evidential interpretation, a notion which is already present in Classical Chinese.© Copyright 2008 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.