You can give a series of alternatives by using 要么 (yàome). The
structure is pretty versatile, as you can put a wide variety of
things after each 要么:
Used for Making a
Suggestion
Structure
When used all by itself, 要么 starts the sentence and is used to
give a suggestion.
Reason / Situation ，要么 + Option B (+ 吧)
or
要么 + Option ，Reason / Situation
Examples
- 老板 今天 不 在 ，要么 你们 明天 来 吧 。Lǎobǎn
jīntiān bù zài, yàome nǐmen míngtiān lái
ba.The boss isn't here today. How about
if you all come back tomorrow?
- 大家 都 有点 累 了，要么 休息 一会儿 吧 。Dàjiā
dōu yǒudiǎn lèi le, yàome xiūxi yīhuìr
ba.Everyone is a little tired. Why don't
we rest for a while?
- 这个 星期 我 比较 忙，要么 下 个 星期 见 ？Zhège
xīngqī wǒ bǐjiào máng, yàome xià gè xīngqī
jiàn?I'm pretty busy this week. How
about we meet up next week?
- 我 周末 还 没 安排，要么 你们 来 我家 玩 ？Wǒ
zhōumò hái méi ānpái, yàome lái wǒ jiā
wán?I don't have plans for the weekend.
How about you guys come to my place and hang out?
- 我 的 钱 不 够 ，要么 我 用 支付宝 付 吧 。Wǒ de
qián bù gòu, yàome wǒ yòng Zhīfùbǎo fù
ba.I don't have that much money. How
about I pay you by Alipay?
Used to Express Limited
Options
When used by itself, 要么 is a not-so-pushy suggestion. But when
used for a pair of choices, it gives a much more hardline
"either/or" feel: these are the two choices. Choose one.
(It can also be used for more than two choices, but it's usually
just two.) In this case, 要不 acts exactly like 要么.
It can be used both for commands and non-commands.
Structure
要么 + Option A ，要么 + Option B
Examples
- 要么 你 去，要么 他 去 。Yàome nǐ qù, yàome tā
qù.Either you go, or he
goes.
- 要么 现在 就 买 ，要么 就 别 买 。Yàome xiànzài jiù mǎi, yàome jiù bié
mǎi.Either buy it now, or don't buy
it.
- 要么 好好 听课 ，要么 现在 就 出去 。Yàome hǎohǎo tīngkè, yàome xiànzài jiù
chūqù.Either listen to the lesson
carefully or get out right now.
- 去年 夏天 ，我 每天 要么 去 健身，要么 去 图书馆，特别 无聊
。Qùnián xiàtiān, wǒ měi tiān yàome qù
jiànshēn, yàome qù túshūguǎn, tèbié
wúliáo.Last summer I either went to the
gym or the library every day. It was so boring.
- 我 老公 周末 要么 睡觉 ，要么 打 游戏 ，从来 不 做 家务
。Wǒ lǎogōng zhōumò yàome shuìjiào,
yàome dǎ yóuxì, cónglái bù zuò jiāwù.My husband either sleeps or plays online games on weekends.
He never does chores.
See also
Sources and further
reading
Books
Category:B1 grammar points