Expressing "or" in statements

In English, "or" can be used to connect words when offering or considering choices (chicken or beef?). It can also be used as an "either or" statement (it doesn't matter if you're tall or short), in Chinese, this is what 或者 (huòzhě) is used for.

Structure

While 还是 (háishì) is used for "or" in questions, 或者 (huòzhě) is used for "or" in statements.

Possibility 1 + 或者 + Possibility 2

Examples

• 我 喝 咖啡 或者 茶，都 行。Wǒ hē kāfēi huòzhě chá, dōu xíng. I drink coffee or tea. Either is OK.
• 星期六 或者 星期天， 都 可以 。 Xīngqīliù huòzhě xīngqītiān, dōu kěyǐ. Saturday or Sunday are both OK.
• 今天 晚上 我 想 吃 披萨 或者 寿司。 Jīntiān wǎnshang wǒ xiǎng chī pīsà huòzhě shòusī. Tonight I would like to eat pizza or sushi.
• 周末 的 时候，我 喜欢 在家 做饭 或者 看 电影。Zhōumò de shíhou, wǒ xǐhuan zài jiā zuòfàn huòzhě kàn diànyǐng. During the weekend, I like to cook or watch movies at home.
• 你 去 或者 她 去，都 可以。Nǐ qù huòzhě tā qù, dōu kěyǐ. You go or she goes, either way is fine.
• 下班 以后 我 去 你 家 或者 你 来 我 家， 都 可以。Xiàbān yǐhòu wǒ qù nǐ jiā huòzhě nǐ lái wǒ jiā, dōu kěyǐ. After work I will go to your house, or you can come to my house, either way is fine.
• 下 个 月 我 打算 去 杭州 或者 苏州 旅行。Xià gè yuè wǒ dǎsuàn qù Hángzhōu huòzhě Sūzhōu lǚxíng. Next month I plan to go to Hangzhou or Suzhou to travel.
• 我们 可以 坐 飞机 或者 坐 高铁 去。Wǒmen kěyǐ zuò fēijī huòzhě zuò gāotiě qù. We can go by plane or by high-speed train.
• 晚饭 以后 我 喜欢 和 家人 聊天 或者 看 电视。Wǎnfàn yǐhòu wǒ xǐhuan hé jiārén liáotiān huòzhě kàn diànshì. After dinner I like to chat or watch TV with my family.
• 你 可以 用 手机 或者 电脑 上网。Nǐ kěyǐ yòng shǒujī huòzhě diànnǎo shàngwǎng. You can use either a cell phone or computer to go online.

See also

• Offering choices with "haishi"
• Providing two options with double "huozhe" (advanced article)

Sources and further reading

Books

• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 74-5) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 257-8) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 239-40) →buy