Colloquially, 要不 (yàobù) can be used for making suggestions, like how we use "how about" in English.

Structure

要不 can be used as an indirect way of giving a suggestion, as the speaker is using 要不 to seek consent of the listener. When using 要不 in this way, it can come either at the beginning of the sentence or in the middle, after explaining the situation.

Examples

大家都有点累了，要不休息一会儿吧。 Dàjiā dōu yǒudiǎn lèi le, yàobù xiūxi yīhuìr ba. Everyone is a little tired. Let's rest for a while.
要不我们一起去吧，一个人去没意思。 Yàobù wǒmen yīqǐ qù ba, yīgèrén qù méi yìsi. How about we go together? It's no fun to go by myself.
这个星期我比较忙，要不下个星期见？ Zhège xīngqī wǒ bǐjiào máng, yàobù xià gè xīngqī jiàn? I'm pretty busy this week. How about we meet up next week?
要不我们换个地方吧，这里太吵了。 Yàobù wǒmen huàn gè dìfang ba, zhèlǐ tài chǎo le. How about we go to somewhere else? It's too loud here.
要不你先走吧，我还没做完。 Yàobù nǐ xiān zǒu ba, wǒ hái méi zuò wán. How about you go first? I haven't finished yet.
下雨了，要不明天去吧。 Xiàyǔ le, yàobù míngtiān qù ba. It's raining. How about we go tomorrow?
这么远，要不我开车送你去？ Zhème yuǎn, yàobù wǒ kāichē sòng nǐ qù? It's so far. How about I drive you there?

Multiple Meanings

When 要不 (yàobù) is used to mean "otherwise,” it's a shortened form of 要不然 (yàobùrán), which literally means "if that's not the case."

Note 要不 (yàobù) can also be used to offer "either/or" choices to others, similar to 要么 (yàome).

你先吃吧，要不然饭就凉了。 Nǐ xiān chī ba, yàobùrán fàn jiù liáng le. You should eat; otherwise, the food gets cold.
打车吧，要不会迟到的。 Dǎchē ba, yàobù huì chídào de. You should take a taxi; otherwise, you'll be late.
快回家吧，要不你爸妈会担心的。 Kuài huíjiā ba, yàobù nǐ bà mā huì dānxīn de. Hurry up. Go home, or your parents will start to worry.

Expressing "how about" with "yaobu"

Contents

Structure

Examples

Multiple Meanings

See also

Sources and further reading

Books