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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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<p>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."</p>
<h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>
<p>还是 as an <a href="adverbs" title="wikilink">adverb</a> 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.</p>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + 还是 + [Verb Phrase] + 吧</p>
</div>
<p>吧 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="liju">
<ul>
<li><em>还是</em> 明天 去 吧 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Háishì</em>
míngtiān qù ba.</span><span class="trans">We'd better go
tomorrow.</span></li>
<li><em>还是</em> 让 她 进来 吧 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Háishì</em> ràng
tā jìnlái ba.</span><span class="trans">We'd better let her come
in.</span></li>
<li>你 <em>还是</em> 快点 走 吧 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>háishì</em>
kuài diǎn zǒu ba.</span><span class="trans">You'd better leave
now.</span></li>
<li>我们 <em>还是</em> 帮帮 他 吧 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen
<em>háishì</em> bāngbang tā ba.</span><span class="trans">We'd
better help him.</span></li>
<li>太 晚 了 ，<em>还是</em> 先 回家 吧 。<span class="pinyin">Tài wǎn le,
<em>háishì</em> xiān huíjiā ba.</span><span class="trans">It's too
late. We'd better go home now.</span></li>
<li>这里 太 脏 了，我们 <em>还是</em> 走 吧 。<span class="pinyin">Zhèlǐ tài
zāng le, wǒmen <em>háishì</em> zǒu ba.</span><span class=
"trans">It's too dirty here; we'd better leave.</span></li>
<li>快 迟到 了 ，我们 <em>还是</em> 打车 吧 。<span class="pinyin">Kuài chídào
le, wǒmen <em>háishì</em> dǎchē ba.</span><span class="trans">We're
running late. Let's take a taxi.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>When the part after 还是 is a negative verb phrase, it's OK to
drop the 吧 at the end.</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>太 贵 了 ，<em>还是</em> 别 买 了 。<span class="pinyin">Tài guì le,
<em>háishì</em> bié mǎi le.</span><span class="trans">It's too
expensive. You'd better not buy it.</span></li>
<li>她 不 想 说 ，<em>还是</em> 不要 再 问 了 。<span class="pinyin">Tā bù xiǎng
shuō, <em>háishì</em> bùyào zài wèn le.</span><span class=
"trans">She doesn't want to say anything. We'd better stop
asking.</span></li>
<li>他 一定 不 同意 ，<em>还是</em> 别 跟 他 说 了 。<span class="pinyin">Tā
yīdìng bù tóngyì, <em>háishì</em> bié gēn tā shuō
le.</span><span class="trans">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><a href="Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition" title=
"wikilink">Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition</a> (pp.
144) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0415372615">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed)" title=
"wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)</a> (pp.
259-60)　<a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0887276385">→buy</a></li>
<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.
103) <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>
<li><a href=
"%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"
class="uri" title="wikilink">卓越汉语－公司实战篇</a> (p. 211) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/%E5%8D%93%E8%B6%8A%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD-%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8%E5%AE%9E%E6%88%98%E7%AF%87-%E8%83%A1%E7%81%B5%E5%9D%87/dp/B003QZWQ6M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347863170&amp;sr=8-1">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="Category:B1_grammar_points" title=
"wikilink">Category:B1 grammar points</a> <a href=
"Category:_Adverbs" title="wikilink">Category: Adverbs</a></p>
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