<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta name="generator" content= "HTML Tidy for HTML5 for Linux version 5.2.0" /> <title></title> </head> <body> <p>To describe a situation as being one of only two possibilities, you can use the structure: "不是⋯⋯就是⋯⋯" (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 "if it's not A, then it's B" 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= ""Not%E2%80%A6_but_rather%E2%80%A6"_with_"er_shi"" title="wikilink">"Not… but rather…" with "er shi"</a></li> <li><a href= "Expressing_"either_..._or_..."_with_"yaome"" title="wikilink">Expressing "either ... or ..." with "yaome"</a></li> <li><a href="Providing_two_options_with_double_"huozhe"" title="wikilink">Providing two options with double "huozhe"</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_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC4)" 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&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561913192"> →buy</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="Category:B2_grammar_points" title= "wikilink">Category:B2 grammar points</a></p> </body> </html>