不是…，就是…
either A or B (it is always one of the two)
Structure
不是 A ，就是 B
What it means
Either A or B: one of the two is always true, with no third choice. It often sounds like a mild complaint about something that keeps happening.
How it is built
不是 + A，就是 + B, with A and B the same kind of phrase: 周末他不是在家睡觉，就是在外面打球 (At weekends he’s either asleep at home or out playing ball).
When to use it
Use it for habits and things that happen again and again, mostly in speech. 或者 just offers options; 不是…就是… says it is always one or the other: 我晚饭不是吃面条，就是吃饺子.
Watch out
Don’t mix it up with 不是 A，是 B, which corrects a mistake: 他不是老师，是学生 (He isn’t a teacher, he’s a student). It is 就是 that gives the “either…or” meaning.
Examples
周末他不是在家睡觉，就是在外面打球。
At weekends he’s either asleep at home or out playing ball.
这两天不是刮大风，就是阴天。
These last couple of days it’s been either blowing a gale or overcast.
我晚饭不是吃面条，就是吃饺子。
For dinner I have either noodles or dumplings.
Learn this in HSK 3 · Lesson 18: 一会儿冷，一会儿热 (Cold one minute, warm the next)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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