Expressing "except" and "in addition" with "chule… yiwai"

Using 除了 (chúle)…… 以外 (yǐwài) will help you spruce up your sentences when you want to express "except", "besides", and "in addition".

Expressing "except"

Structure

"除了... (以外), 都..." (chúle... (yǐwài), dōu...) is a pattern used to express "except."

除了 + Noun Phrase + (以外) + Noun Phrase + 都 + Verb

Examples

• 除了 妈妈 以外，我们 全家 都 去 香港。Except for mother, the whole family went to Hong Kong.
• 除了 白酒 以外，他 什么 酒 都 喝。He will drink anything except white wine.
• 除了 小 王 以外，我们 都 会 说 英语。Except for Xiao Wang, we can all speak English.

The pattern can also be used to mean "in addition". An important note is that either 除了 or 以外 can be omitted from the sentence without losing its meaning.

Expressing "in addition"

Structure

"除了... (以外), 也/还..." (chúle... (yǐwài), yě/hái...) is a pattern used to express "in addition."

除了 + Noun Phrase + (以外) + Noun Phrase + 也 + Verb

Examples

• 除了 日本 以外 ，我 还 想 去 台湾 旅行。In addition to Japan, I also want to travel to Taiwan.
• 除了 中国人，很 多 美国人 也 喜欢 赌博。In addition to Chinese people, many Americans like to gamble.
• 除了 汉堡包 以外 ，她 也 喜欢 吃 热狗。In addition to hamburgers, she also likes to eat hot dogs.

See also

• "Unless" with "chufei"
• "In addition" as "lingwai"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 80) →buy
• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 50, 52) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 218-9)　→buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 16-7) →buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 355-6) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 170) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 271)→buy