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[B1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B1_grammar_points)
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Similar to
- [Offering choices with "haishi"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22) (A1) - [Expressing "should" with "yinggai"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22should%22_with_%22yinggai%22) (A2) - [Expressing "had better" with "zuihao"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22had_better%22_with_%22zuihao%22) (B1) - [Expressing "how about" with "yaobu"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22how_about%22_with_%22yaobu%22) (B1)
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Used for
[Expressing quality](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_quality), [Expressing obligations](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_obligations)
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Keywords
[还是](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E8%BF%98%E6%98%AF), [还](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E8%BF%98), [是](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E6%98%AF), [吧](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%90%A7)
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Translations
[had better](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Had_better)
[![Chinese-grammar-wiki－haishi.jpg](Expressing%20%22had%20better%22%20with%20%22haishi%22%20-%20Chinese%20Grammar%20Wiki_fichiers/300px-Chinese-grammar-wikihaishi.jpg "fig:Chinese-grammar-wiki－haishi.jpg"){width="300" height="300"}](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/File:Chinese-grammar-wiki%EF%BC%8Dhaishi.jpg)
One of the ways to use 还是 (háishì) is to have it mean "you had better," similar to how in English we may say "I think you had better start on your homework."
Contents --------  [hide]([# "wikilink")\] 
- [1 Structure](#Structure "wikilink") - [2 Examples](#Examples "wikilink") - [3 See also](#See_also "wikilink") - [4 Sources and further reading](#Sources_and_further_reading "wikilink") - [4.1 Books](#Books "wikilink")
Structure --------------------------------------------------------- 还是 as an [adverb](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Adverbs) can express "had better" or "it would be better to." The idea is that the speaker has given the matter some thought, and after considering it, has finally come to a decision. The announcement of this decision will frequently include 还是, and it usually comes before a verb or a subject.
Subj. + 还是 + \[Verb Phrase\] + 吧
吧 is often placed after this structure, [as it's a suggestion](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Softening_speech_with_%22ba%22). Examples -------------------------------------------------------
- *还是* 明天 去 吧 。*Háishì* míngtiān qù ba.We'd better go tomorrow. - *还是* 让 她 进来 吧 。*Háishì* ràng tā jìnlái ba.We'd better let her come in. - 你 *还是* 快点 走 吧 。Nǐ *háishì* kuài diǎn zǒu ba.You'd better leave now. - 我们 *还是* 帮帮 他 吧 。Wǒmen *háishì* bāngbang tā ba.We'd better help him. - 太 晚 了 ，*还是* 先 回家 吧 。Tài wǎn le, *háishì* xiān huíjiā ba.It's too late. We'd better go home now. - 这里 太 脏 了，我们 *还是* 走 吧 。Zhèlǐ tài zāng le, wǒmen *háishì* zǒu ba.It's too dirty here; we'd better leave. - 快 迟到 了 ，我们 *还是* 打车 吧 。Kuài chídào le, wǒmen *háishì* dǎchē ba.We're running late. Let's take a taxi.
When the part after 还是 is a negative verb phrase, it's OK to drop the 吧 at the end.
- 太 贵 了 ，*还是* 别 买 了 。Tài guì le, *háishì* bié mǎi le.It's too expensive. You'd better not buy it. - 她 不 想 说 ，*还是* 不要 再 问 了 。Tā bù xiǎng shuō, *háishì* bùyào zài wèn le.She doesn't want to say anything. We'd better stop asking. - 他 一定 不 同意 ，*还是* 别 跟 他 说 了 。Tā yīdìng bù tóngyì, *háishì* bié gēn tā shuō le.He will definitely disagree. We'd better not tell him.
See also ------------------------------------------------------- - [Offering choices with haishi](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_haishi) - ["Yinggai" for should](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Yinggai%22_for_should) - [Expressing "how about" with "yaobu"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22how_about%22_with_%22yaobu%22) Sources and further reading --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Books - [Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition) (pp. 144) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2h67UYa) - [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed)) (pp. 259-60) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2xe9H5W) - [New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_4_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC4)) (pp. 103) [→buy](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) - [卓越汉语－公司实战篇](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%8D%93%E8%B6%8A%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%EF%BC%8D%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8%E5%AE%9E%E6%88%98%E7%AF%87) (pp. 211) \[ →buy\]
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