Expressing "how about" with "yaobu"

要不 (yàobù) can have a number of meanings, ranging from "either/or" to "how about."

要不 as to mark possible choices

Structure

要不 can be used to offer "either/or" choices to others, similar to 要么. But in this sense, 要么 is more used than 要不 in colloquial Chinese.

要不 + Option A，要不 + Option B

Examples

• 要不 你 去，要不 他 去。Yàobù nǐ qù, yàobù tā qù.Either you go or he goes.
• 你 要不 回家 ，要不 陪 我 再 玩 一会儿。Nǐ yàobù huíjiā, yàobù péi wǒ zài wán yīhuìr.You either go home or hang out with me a little more.
• 你 要不 安静 一点，要不 就 出去。Nǐ yàobù ānjìng yīdiǎn,yàobù jiù chūqù.You can either be quiet or get out.

要不 used for suggestions

Structure

要不 can be used as an indirect way of giving a suggestion, as the speaker is using 要不 to seek consent of the listener. (Once again, 要么 can be used similarly.) When using 要不 in this way, it can come either at the beginning of the sentence, or in the middle, after explaining the situation.

Reason / Situation，要不 + Option B

Examples

• 一个人 去 没 意思，要不 我们 一起 去 吧？Yīgèrén qù méi yìsi, yàobù wǒmen yīqǐ qù ba?It's no fun to go by myself. How about we go together?
• 下雨 了，要不 明天 再 去 吧。Xià yǔ le, yàobù jīntiān bié qù le.It's raining. How about we go tomorrow?
• 家里 停 水 了，要不 今晚 出去 吃 吧。Jiā lǐ tíng shuǐ le, yàobù jīnwǎn chūqù chī ba.We have a blackout of water supply at home. How about we go eat out tonight?
• 走路 过去 挺 远 的，要不 我 开车 送 你 去 吧。Zǒulù guòqù tǐng yuǎn de, yàobù wǒ kāichē sòng nǐ qù ba.It's quite far away to walk there. How about I drive you there?
• 要不 我们 去 逛街 吧，比 在家 看 电视 有 意思。Yàobù wǒmen qù guàngjiē ba, bǐ zàijiā kàn diànshì yǒu yìsi.Let's go shopping. It's more fun than watching TV at home.

要不 means "otherwise"

Structure

要不 can also be used to mean "otherwise" (a shortened form of 要不然):

Statement， 要不 + Result

(要么 can never be used in this way.)

Examples

• 打 个 车 吧，要不 会 迟到 的。Dǎ ge chē ba, yàobù huì chídào de.You should take a taxi, otherwise you'll be late.
• 快点 做 吧，要不 又 得 加班 了。Kuài diǎn zuò ba, yàobù yòu děi jiābān.Do it faster, otherwise we are going to work late again.
• 快点 回家 吧，要不 你 爸妈 会 担心 的。Kuài diǎn huíjiā ba, yàobù nǐ bàmā huì dānxīn de.Hurry and go home, or your parents will start to worry.
• 少 放 点 辣椒，要不 太 辣 了。Shǎo fàng diǎn làjiāo, yàobù tài là le.Don't put so much chili pepper, otherwise it'll be so spicy.

要不然 can be used interchangeably with 要不 when it is used to mean 否则.

See also

• "Or" in statements
• Expressing "either ... or ..." with "yaome"
• Suggestions with "ba"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Home With Kids1 (家有儿女1)(pp. 50) →buy
• BRIDGE (桥梁 实用汉语中级教程下)(pp. 187) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 123-4) →buy
• 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 166-7) →buy