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⋯⋯" (búshi...jiùshì...)

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。All day, if he's not playing games, he's sleeping.
• 他们 约会 不是 去 咖啡馆 就是 去 电影院。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。The clothes that I bought are either too big or too small, I can't wear any of them.
• 她 穿 的 衣服 不是 LV 就是 Gucci！If the clothes that she wears aren't Louis Vuitton, then they're Gucci!

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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