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

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

Here's the basic structure when talking about exceptions:

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

Here are some examples:

• 除了 妈妈 以外，我们 全家 都 去 香港。
• 除了 白酒 以外，他 什么 酒 都 喝。
• 除了 小 王 以外，我们 都 会 说 英语。

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.

In this pattern, the structure differs only slightly, substituting 都 with 也:

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

Here are some examples when using the "in addition" form:

• 除了 日本 以外 ，我 还 想 去 台湾 旅行。
• 除了 中国人，很 多 美国人 也 喜欢 赌博。
• 除了 汉堡包 以外 ，她 也 喜欢 吃 热狗。

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 - 219)　→buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 16 - 17) →buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 355-356) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 170) →buy