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除非 (chú fēi) — unless; only if, only in the case that

Definition

除非 marks a necessary condition: 'only if / unless' (often paired with 否则 or 不然 for the consequence). Unlike 如果 ('if' — any condition), 除非 insists the condition is the ONLY way the result happens, like 只有…才.

conjunction
unlessonly ifonly in the case that

Examples

  • 除非，。
    chú fēi Nǐ tóng yì, fǒu zé wǒ bú huì qù.
    Unless you agree, I won't go.
  • 除非，。
    chú fēi Xià yǔ, wǒ men cái huì gǎi biàn jì huà.
    Only if it rains will we change the plan.
  • 除非，。
    chú fēi Tā dào qiàn, bù rán wǒ bú huì yuán liàng tā.
    Unless he apologizes, I won't forgive him.

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 51000 Most Frequent Chinese Words2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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