<p>To describe a situation as being one of only two possibilities, you can use the structure: &quot;不是⋯⋯就是⋯⋯&quot; (búshi...jiùshì...)</p>
<h2 id="structure">Structure</h2>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>不是 + A,就是 + B</p>
</div>
<p>This is like saying &quot;if it's not A, then it's B&quot; in English. A and B can be verbs, adjectives or nouns.</p>
<h2 id="examples">Examples</h2>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>他 整天 <em>不 是</em> 打游戏 <em>就 是</em> 睡觉。<span class="trans">All day, if he's not playing games, he's sleeping.</span></li>
<li>他们 约会 <em>不是</em> 去 咖啡馆 <em>就是</em> 去 电影院。<span class="trans">When they go on dates, if it's not to a coffee shop, then it's to the movie theater.</span></li>
<li>我 买 的 衣服 <em>不是</em> 大 <em>就是</em> 小,都 不 能 穿。<span class="trans">The clothes that I bought are either too big or too small, I can't wear any of them.</span></li>
<li>她 穿 的 衣服 <em>不是</em> LV <em>就是</em> Gucci!<span class="trans">If the clothes that she wears aren't Louis Vuitton, then they're Gucci!</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="&quot;Not…_but_rather…&quot;_with_&quot;er_shi&quot;" title="wikilink">&quot;Not… but rather…&quot; with &quot;er shi&quot;</a></li>
<li><a href="Expressing_&quot;either_..._or_...&quot;_with_&quot;yaome&quot;" title="wikilink">Expressing &quot;either ... or ...&quot; with &quot;yaome&quot;</a></li>
<li><a href="Providing_two_options_with_double_&quot;huozhe&quot;" title="wikilink">Providing two options with double &quot;huozhe&quot;</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_4_(新实用汉语课本4)" title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)</a> (pp. 84) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561913192/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=7561913192">→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<p>            </p>
<p><a href="Category:B2_grammar_points" title="wikilink">Category:B2 grammar points</a></p>