Expressing "unless" with "chufei"

除非 (chúfēi) can be used as a conjunction, and means "unless." 否则 (fǒuzé) or 不然 (bùrán) often appear in the following phrase, to form a construction meaning "unless x, otherwise y":

Simplified Construction

The simplified construction more directly maps to the basic English usage of "unless," as in, "I won't do it unless you pay me."

Structure

除非 means "unless" in the following "y , 除非 x" pattern. The sentences below place emphasis on the part after 除非.

Result / Fact ，除非 + Condition

Examples

• 我 不 去 ，除非 你 也 去 。I won't go unless you go.
• 我 不 说 ，除非 你 答应 我 不会 生气 。I won't tell you unless you promise me that you won't be upset.
• 你 不 会 这么 快 升职 ，除非 你 表现 很 好 。You won't get promoted so soon unless you perform very well.
• 我们 公司 一般 不 允许 员工 请假，除非 理由 很 充分 。The company won't allow it's staff time off unless their reason is good enough.

Advanced Construction

In the full construction, 除非 comes first, and the meaning is "Unless x, otherwise y."

Structure

除非 + Condition ，否则 / 不然 + Result / Fact

Examples

• ，除非 。 .
• ，除非 。 .
• ，除非 。 .
• ，除非 。 .
• ，除非 。 .

Used with 才

除非 is also used in the patterns below. The meaning expressed is the same as the sentences above, but below the "Y" part expresses what won't happen unless the 除非 condition is met. It might be more helpful to think of 除非 here as meaning "only if."

Structure

除非 x，才 y

So that's "Only if x, y."

Examples

• 除非 你 答应 我 不会 生气 ，我 才 说 。Only if you promise me that you won't be upset, I will tell you.
• 除非 旧 的 坏了 ，我 才 会 买 新的 。Only if the old one is broken, I will buy a new one.
• 除非 有 很好 的 工作 机会 ，我 才 回 老家 。Only if there is a very good job opportunity, I will go back to my hometown.
• 除非 老板 给 我 加薪 ，我 才 会 留下来 。Only if the boss gives me a pay raise, I will stay.
• 除非 我 犯 了 很 大 的 错 ，我 妈 才 会 批评 我 。Only if I make a very big mistake, my mother will criticize me.

See also

• "Except" and "in addition" with "chule… yiwai"
• Expressing "even if…" with "jishi"
• Expressing "otherwise" with "yaobu"

Sources and Further Reading

• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) [1] →buy