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  <title>Offering choices with "haishi"</title>
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  <h1>Offering choices with "<span class="pinyinst">háishì</span>" "<span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 26px; font-weight: normal;">还是</span>"</h1>

  <p><span class="hanzi">还是</span> (<span class="pinyin">háishì</span>) is used in Chinese to provide options in a <b>question</b>. This is equivalent to one of our uses of "<b>or</b>" in English.</p>

  <h2 id="sigil_toc_id_29">Contents</h2>

  <div class="contents">
    <ul>
      <li><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22#Simplest_Form"> 1 Simplest Form</a> 

      <ul>
        <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-2"><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22#Structure"> 1.1 Structure</a></li>

        <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3"><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22#Examples"> 1.2 Examples</a></li>
      </ul></li>

      <li><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22#Full_Sentence_Form"> 2 Full Sentence Form</a> 

      <ul>
        <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5"><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22#Structure_2"> 2.1 Structure</a></li>

        <li><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22#Examples_2"> 2.2 Examples</a></li>
      </ul></li>

      <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7"><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22#See_also"> 3 See also</a></li>

      <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8"><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22#Sources_and_Further_Reading"> 4 Sources and Further Reading</a> 

      <ul>
        <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-9"><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22#Books"> 4.1 Books</a></li>

        <li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-10"><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Offering_choices_with_%22haishi%22#Websites"> 4.2 Websites</a></li>
      </ul></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="sigil_toc_id_30"><span id="Simplest_Form">Simplest Form</span></h2>

  <h3 id="sigil_toc_id_31"><span id="Structure">Structure</span></h3>

  <div class="deux">
    Option A + <span class="hanzist">还是</span> + Option B
  </div>

  <p>When you're asked a question of this form, there are two ways you're expected to answer: either Option A or Option B. (Pick one, but not both.) It's not that no other answers are possible, it's that usually when you're asked a question this way, the person asking expects you to just choose one. For example, if asked if you'd like to drink coffee or tea, most people are going to choose one or the other, not ask for both. <span class="hanzi">还是</span> (<span class="pinyin">háishì</span>) is used to ask people to make that choice between the two.</p>

  <h3 id="sigil_toc_id_32">Examples</h3>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">我 还是 他 ？</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Wǒ háishì tā? </span> <br/>Me or him?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">一 个 还是 两 个 ？</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Yīgè háishì liǎng gè ?</span> <br/>One or two?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">辣 的 还是 不 辣 的 ？</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Là de háishì bù là de ?</span> <br/>Spicy or non-spicy?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">冰 的 还是 热 的 ？</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Bīng de háishì rè de ?</span> <br/>Cold or hot?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">上海 还是 北京 ？</span> The eternal China expat question! Choose wisely...<br/><span class="pinyin"> Shànghǎi háishì Běijīng? </span> <br/>Shanghai or Beijing?</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="sigil_toc_id_33"><span id="Full_Sentence_Form">Full Sentence Form</span></h2>

  <h3 id="sigil_toc_id_34"><span id="Structure_2">Structure</span></h3>

  <p>You can take the structure above, add a subject and a verb, and create all kinds of questions with the following structure:</p>

  <div class="deux">
    Subject + Verb + Option A + <span class="hanzist">还是</span> + Option B
  </div>

  <h3 id="sigil_toc_id_35"><span id="Examples_2">Examples</span></h3>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">这 是 水 还是 酒 ？</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Zhè shì shuǐ háishì jiǔ ?</span> <br/>Is this water or alcohol?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">他 是 美国 人 还是 英国 人 ？</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Tā shì Měiguó rén háishì Yīngguó rén ?</span> <br/>Is he American or British?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 喜欢 我 还是 我 的 钱 ？</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Nǐ xǐhuan wǒ háishì wǒ de qián ?</span> <br/>Do you like me or my money?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 要 喝 茶 还是 咖啡 ？</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ yào hē chá háishì kāfēi ?</span> <br/>Do you want to drink tea or coffee?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你们 想 吃 中国 菜 还是 法国 菜 ？</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Nǐmen xiǎng chī Zhōngguó cài háishì Fǎguó cài ?</span> <br/>Do you want to eat Chinese food or French food?</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <p>Please note that <span class="hanzi">还是</span> (<span class="pinyin">háishì</span>) is for offering options in a <b>question</b>. It should not be used for <a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Or%22_in_statements" title="&quot;Or&quot; in statements" class="mw-redirect">"or" in statements</a>.</p>

  <h2 id="sigil_toc_id_36">See also</h2>

  <ul>
    <li><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Or%22_in_statements" title="&quot;Or&quot; in statements" class="mw-redirect">"Or" in statements</a></li>

    <li><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Had_better%22_with_%22haishi%22" title="&quot;Had better&quot; with &quot;haishi&quot;">"Had better" with "<span class="pinyin">háishì</span>"</a></li>

    <li><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Providing_two_options_with_double_%22huozhe%22" title="Providing two options with double &quot;huozhe&quot;">Providing two options with double "huozhe"</a></li>
  </ul>

  <h2 id="sigil_toc_id_37">Sources and Further Reading</h2>

  <h3 id="sigil_toc_id_38">Books</h3>

  <ul>
    <li>Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 76-7, 257-8)　</li>

    <li>New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (<span class="hanzi">新实用汉语课本1</span>) (p. 179)</li>

    <li>New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (<span class="hanzi">新实用汉语课本1</span>)(2nd ed) (pp. 206-7, 251)</li>

    <li>40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (<span class="hanzi">基础汉语40课上册</span>） (p. 125)</li>
  </ul>

  <h3 id="sigil_toc_id_39"><span id="Websites">Websites</span></h3>

  <ul>
    <li>Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: <a href="http://comet.cls.yale.edu/chineseusagedictionary/0213.html">Comparing <span class="hanzi">还是</span> and <span class="hanzi">或者</span></a></li>
  </ul>
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