Expressing the only two possibilities
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Level B2
Similar to
Expressing "either... or..." with "yaome" (B1)
Providing two options with double "huozhe" (B2)
Used for
Giving alternatives, Differentiating
Keywords
就是, 不是, 不, 就, 是
Translations
either, or
To describe a situation as being one of only two possibilities, you can use the structure: "不是⋯⋯就是⋯⋯" (búshi...jiùshì...)
Contents
1 Structure
2 Examples
3 See also
4 Sources and further reading
4.1 Books
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 大 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) →buy