Expressing the only two possibilities

Structure

Examples

• 他整天不是打游戏就是睡觉。
  Tā zhěng tiān bú shì dǎ yóu xì jiù shì shuì jiào.
  If he's not playing video games all day, he's sleeping.
• 我买的衣服不是大就是小，都不能穿。
  Wǒ mǎi de yī fu bú shì dà jiù shì xiǎo, dōu bù néng chuān.
  The clothes that I bought are always either too big or too small. I can't wear any of them.
• 不是你就是他干的，别人一点都不知道。
  Bú shì nǐ jiù shì tā gān de, bié rén yì diǎn dōu bù zhī dào.
  Either you did it or he did it. No one else knows anything about it.
• 我不是点外卖就是出去吃，我从来不自己做饭。
  Wǒ bú shì diǎn wài mài jiù shì chū qù chī, wǒ cóng lái bú zì jǐ zuò fàn.
  I either order take-away food or go out to eat. I never cook for myself.
• 他不是嫌这不好就是嫌那不好，十分挑剔。
  Tā bú shì xián zhè bù hǎo jiù shì xián nà bù hǎo, shí fēn tiāo ti.
  He either dislikes this or dislikes that. He is super picky.

Words that use this

• 不是bù shinot be; No!; to V2, not V1; if not A, then B; either A or B
• 就是jiù shìexactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也) even; even if