Expressing "how about" with "yaobu"
Revision as of 06:14, 25 November 2011 by Jonathan.pope (talk | contribs)
要不 (yào bù) can have a number of meanings depending on how it is used.
要不 as 或者
- 你 要不 看书 要不 去 睡觉
要不 used for suggestions
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.
- 要不 我们 一起 去 吧。
- 要不 咱们 今晚 吃 湘菜。
要不 as 否则
要不 can also be used to mean otherwise:
- 你 快点 打电话 给 他，要不 他会 很 担心。
- 我 要 打的 要不 我会迟到。
要不然 can be used interchangably with 要不 when it is used as 否则
