eric
/
ChineseGrammarWiki


			
							123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208
							<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!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>
  <link href="../Styles/main.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
</head>

<body>
  <h1></h1>

  <p>One of the ways to use <span class="hanzi">还是</span> (<span class="pinyin">háishì</span>) 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."</p>

  <h2>Contents</h2>

  <ol>
    <li>Structure<br/></li>

    <li>Examples<br/></li>

    <li>See also<br/></li>

    <li>Sources and further reading<br/></li>

    <ol>
      <li>Books<br/></li>
    </ol>
  </ol>

  <h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>

  <p><span class="hanzi">还是</span> as an <a href="adverbs" title="wikilink">adverb</a> can express "<b>had better</b>" or "<b>it would be better to</b>." 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 <span class="hanzi">还是</span>, and it usually comes before a verb or a subject.</p>

  <div>
    <div class="deux">
      Subj. + <span class="hanzist">还是</span> + [Verb Phrase] + <span class="hanzi">吧</span>
    </div>
  </div>

  <p><span class="hanzi">吧</span> is often placed after this structure, <a href="Softening_speech_with_&quot;ba&quot;" title="wikilink">as it's a suggestion</a>.</p>

  <h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">还是 明天 去 吧 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Háishì míngtiān qù ba.</span><br/><span> We'd better go tomorrow.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">还是 让 她 进来 吧 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Háishì ràng tā jìnlái ba.</span><br/><span> We'd better let her come in.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 还是 快点 走 吧 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Nǐ háishì kuài diǎn zǒu ba.</span><br/><span> You'd better leave now.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我们 还是 帮帮 他 吧 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Wǒmen háishì bāngbang tā ba.</span><br/><span> We'd better help him.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">太 晚 了 ，还是 先 回家 吧 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Tài wǎn le, háishì xiān huíjiā ba.</span><br/><span> It's too late. We'd better go home now.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">这里 太 脏 了，我们 还是 走 吧 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Zhèlǐ tài zāng le, wǒmen háishì zǒu ba.</span><br/><span> It's too dirty here; we'd better leave.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">快 迟到 了 ，我们 还是 打车 吧 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Kuài chídào le, wǒmen háishì dǎchē ba.</span><br/><span> We're running late. Let's take a taxi.</span></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <p>When the part after <span class="hanzi">还是</span> is a negative verb phrase, it's OK to drop the <span class="hanzi">吧</span> at the end.</p>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">太 贵 了 ，还是 别 买 了 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Tài guì le, háishì bié mǎi le.</span><br/><span> It's too expensive. You'd better not buy it.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">她 不 想 说 ，还是 不要 再 问 了 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Tā bù xiǎng shuō, háishì bùyào zài wèn le.</span><br/><span> She doesn't want to say anything. We'd better stop asking.</span></li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">他 一定 不 同意 ，还是 别 跟 他 说 了 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Tā yīdìng bù tóngyì, háishì bié gēn tā shuō le.</span><br/><span> He will definitely disagree. We'd better not tell him.</span></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>

  <ul>
    <li><a href="Offering_choices_with_haishi" title="wikilink">Offering choices with haishi</a></li>

    <li><a href="&quot;Yinggai&quot;_for_should" title="wikilink">"Yinggai" for should</a></li>

    <li><a href="Expressing_&quot;how_about&quot;_with_&quot;yaobu&quot;" title="wikilink">Expressing "how about" with "yaobu"</a></li>
  </ul>

  <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>

  <h3 id="books">Books</h3>

  <ul>
    <li>Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 144)</li>

    <li>Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 259-60)　</li>

    <li>&gt;New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (<span class="hanzi">新实用汉语课本4</span>) (pp. 103)</li>

    <li><span class="hanzi">卓越汉语－公司实战篇</span> (p. 211)</li>
  </ul>


Expressing "had better" with "haishi"

(Redirected from ASGWAR65)

Level B1
Similar to
Offering choices with "haishi" (A1)
Expressing "should" with "yinggai" (A2)
Expressing "had better" with "zuihao" (B1)
Expressing "how about" with "yaobu" (B1)
Used for
Expressing quality, Expressing obligations
Keywords
还是, 还, 是, 吧
Translations
had better

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

  
1 Structure
2 Examples
3 See also
4 Sources and further reading
4.1 Books
Structure

还是 as an adverb 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.

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
"Yinggai" for should
Expressing "how about" with "yaobu"
Sources and further reading

Books

Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 144) →buy
Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 259-60) →buy
New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 103) →buy
卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 211) [ →buy]
</body>
</html>