Definition
要不是 (yào bú shì) means 'if it weren't for' and introduces a hypothetical condition that prevented something from happening. Unlike 否则 (fǒu zé) or 不然 (bù rán), which mean 'otherwise' and follow a statement of fact, 要不是 starts a counterfactual 'if not' clause and is always followed by the result that would have occurred. It is more specific than 要不 (yào bù), which can also mean 'how about'.
conjunction
if it were not forbut for
Examples
- 要不是，。yào bú shì nǐ tíxǐng wǒ, wǒ jiù wàng le.If it weren't for your reminder, I would have forgotten.
- 要不是，。yào bú shì tiānqì bù hǎo, wǒmen jiù qù hǎibiān 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.
Grammar
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