{{Grammar Box}} To describe a situation as being one of only two possibilities, you can use the structure: "不是⋯⋯就是⋯⋯" (búshi...jiùshì...) == Structure ==
不是 + A,就是 + B
This is like saying "if it's not A, then it's B" in English. A and B can be verbs, adjectives or nouns. == Examples ==
* 他 整天 不 是 打游戏 就 是 睡觉。All day, if he's not playing games, he's sleeping. * 他们 约会 不是 去 咖啡馆 就是 去 电影院。When they go on dates, if it's not to a coffee shop, then it's to the movie theater. * 我 买 的 衣服 不是就是 小,都 不 能 穿。The clothes that I bought are either too big or too small, I can't wear any of them. * 她 穿 的 衣服 不是 LV 就是 Gucci!If the clothes that she wears aren't Louis Vuitton, then they're Gucci!
==See also== *[["Not… but rather…" with "er shi"]] *[[Expressing "either ... or ..." with "yaome"]] *[[Providing two options with double "huozhe"]] == Sources and further reading == === Books === * [[New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)]] (pp. 84) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561913192/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561913192 →buy] [[Category:B2 grammar points]] {{Basic Grammar|就是|B2|不是⋯⋯,就是⋯⋯|不是 成功,就是 失败。|grammar point|ASGEXR6R}} {{Rel char|不是}} {{Rel char|不}} {{Rel char|就}} {{Rel char|是}} {{Similar|"Not… But Rather…" with "er shi"}} {{Similar|Expressing "either ... or ..." with "yaome"}} {{Similar|Providing two options with double "huozhe"}} {{Structure|Sentence Patterns}} {{Used for|Giving alternatives}} {{Used for|Differentiating}} {{Translation|either}} {{Translation|or}}