要么
yaome
The English phrase "either" is translated into Chinese as 要么 (yaome).
要么 is used to present a choice between two mutually exclusive options or possibilities.
Meaning: each of two (det)
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is most commonly used in a correlative structure where the first 要么 is paired with a second 要么 to express the English pattern "either… or…".
How do you pronounce it?
yaome
Did you know?
- If you want to say 'either' in a way that implies 'it doesn't matter which one', you would use the phrase 都 (dōu) instead of the choice-based 要么.
- The character 要 in 要么 means 'to want' or 'essential', suggesting that the choice is a necessity or a requirement.
- Using 要么 repeatedly in a list of more than two options is grammatically acceptable in Chinese, whereas 'either' is strictly for two in English.
Examples in context
- 要么你去，要么我去。Either you go, or I go.Tatoeba #411253 by GlossaMatik, translation #411250 by FeuDRenais
- 咱们要么说汉语，要么就别说话。Let’s either speak Chinese, or not speak at all.Tatoeba #1477277 by GlossaMatik, translation #1477320 by eastasiastudent
- 杏樹對雪說：「要么你把一切都變成白色，要么你把我們也變成白色。」The almond tree says to the snow: "Either you make it all white, or you make us white".Tatoeba #13544360 by LeviHighway, translation #11575429 by AmarMecheri
- 我们要不然去看电影，要不然去吃火锅。We can either go watch a movie or go eat hot pot.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- 佳怡 Jiayi我们要么吃面条，要么吃米饭。Wǒmen yàome chī miántiáo, yàome chī mǐfàn.We can either eat noodles or eat rice.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我想吃米饭。Wǒ xiǎng chī mǐfàn.I want to eat rice.
- 佳怡 Jiayi那我们就去那家餐厅吧。Nà wǒmen jiù qù nà jiā cāntīng ba.Then let's go to that restaurant.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好的，走吧。Hǎo de, zǒu ba.Okay, let's go.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
