要不是 (yào bú shì) — if it were not for; but for

Definition

要不是 introduces a counterfactual reason ('if it weren't for / but for'), usually paired with 就 to state the opposite outcome. Unlike 否则/不然, which warn of a consequence, 要不是 looks back at the cause that almost changed things.

conjunction

if it were not forbut for

Examples

要不是，。
yào bú shì Nǐ tí xǐng wǒ, wǒ jiù wàng le.
If it weren't for your reminder, I would have forgotten.
要不是，。
yào bú shì Tiān qì bù hǎo, wǒ men jiù qù hǎi biān le.
If it weren't for the bad weather, we would have gone to the beach.
要不是，。
yào bú shì Nǐ jiè qián gěi wǒ, wǒ mǎi bù liǎo zhè běn shū.
If it weren't for you lending me money, I couldn't buy this book.