Expressing the only two possibilities

To describe a situation as being one of only two possibilities, you can use the structure "不是⋯⋯就是⋯⋯" (bù shì... jiùshì...), which literally means, "if it's not... it's...."

Structure

不是 + A，就是 + B

This is like saying "if it's not A, then it's B" in English. A and B can be verbs, adjectives, or nouns.

Examples

• 他 整天 不 是 打 游戏 就 是 睡觉。Tā zhěng tiān bù shì dǎ yóuxì jiùshì shuìjiào.If he's not playing video games all day, he's sleeping.
• 他们 约会 不是 去 咖啡馆 就是 去 电影院。Tāmen yuēhuì bù shì qù kāfēiguǎn jiùshì qù diànyǐngyuàn.When they go on dates, if it's not to a coffee shop, then it's to the movie theater.
• 我 买 的 衣服 不是 大 就是 小，都 不 能 穿。Wǒ mǎi de yīfu bù shì dà jiùshì xiǎo, dōu bù néng chuān.The clothes that I bought are always either too big or too small. I can't wear any of them.
• 她 穿 的 衣服 不是 LV 就是 Gucci！Tā chuān de yīfu bù shì LV jiùshì Gucci!If the clothes that she wears aren't Louis Vuitton, then they're Gucci!
• 不是 你 就是 他 干 的 ，别人 一点 都 不 知道。Bù shì nǐ jiùshì tā gàn de, biérén yīdiǎn dōu bù zhīdào.Either you did it or he did it. No one else knows anything about it.
• 不是 哭 就是 闹，你 还 能 不 能 好好 工作 了？Bù shì kū jiùshì nào, nǐ hái néng bù néng hǎohǎo gōngzuò le?If you're not crying then you're yelling. Can you just do your job properly?
• 我 不是 点 外卖 就是 出去 吃，我 从来 不 自己 做饭。Wǒ bù shì diǎn wàimài jiùshì chūqù chī, wǒ cónglái bù zìjǐ zuòfàn.I either order take-away food or go out to eat. I never cook for myself.
• 他 不是 嫌 这 不 好 就是 嫌 那 不 好，十分 挑剔。Tā bù shì xián zhè bùhǎo jiùshì xián nà bùhǎo, shífēn tiāoti.He either dislikes this or dislikes that. He is super picky.
• 今年 一直 没有 去 旅游 ， 不是 觉得 地方 远 就是 觉得 自己 累。Jīnnián yīzhí méiyǒu qù lǚyóu, bù shì juéde dìfang yuǎn jiùshì juéde zìjǐ lèi.This year, I haven't traveled at all. I either find the places too far away or I feel too tired.
• 这个 星期 不是 今天 开会 就是 明天 开会 。Zhège xīngqí bù shì jīntiān kāihuì jiùshì míngtiān kāihuì.This week, I'm having a meeting either today or tomorrow.

See also

• "Not… but rather…" with "er shi"
• Expressing "either ... or ..." with "yaome"
• Providing two options with double "huozhe"

Sources and further reading

Books

• New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 84) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

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