English uses one word for "or"; Chinese uses two. 还是 offers a choice inside a question; 或者 offers an alternative inside a statement. Choosing the wrong one is one of the most common conjunction errors.
~4 min read
概述gàishùOverview — Two "Or"s, One English
语法核心 yǔfǎ héxīn · Grammatical Core
English "or" does two different jobs that Chinese keeps separate. In a question, "or" offers the listener a choice: "tea or coffee?" In a statement, "or" presents alternatives that are all acceptable: "tea or coffee is fine." Chinese assigns each job its own word. 还是 háishi is the "or" of choice questions; 或者 huòzhě is the "or" of statements.
The rule is short and reliable: 还是 when you are asking the listener to pick (a question), 或者 when you are stating that any option works (a statement). 你喝茶还是咖啡？("Do you want tea or coffee?") asks for a decision; 你可以喝茶或者咖啡 ("you can have tea or coffee") simply lists what is available. Get the sentence type right, question or statement, and the choice of word follows automatically.
The core splitQuestion: A 还是 B？, 你去还是不去？· Are you going or not? Statement: A 或者 B , 你去或者不去都可以 · Going or not, either is fine Choice question takes no 吗:你喝茶还是咖啡吗 还是 as adverb: 我们还是走吧 · Let's go after all
还是háishi还是 in Questions — A 还是 B?
还是háishior (in a choice question)
CONJ 连词 liáncí
Used in questions that offer the listener a choice between two (or more) options: A 还是 B？It signals "which one?" and asks for a pick. A choice question with 还是 does not also take 吗, since 还是 already makes it a question. The options can be nouns, verbs, or whole clauses.
你喝茶还是喝咖啡？
Nǐ hē chá háishi hē kāfēi?
Do you want to drink tea or coffee?
我们今天去还是明天去？
Wǒmen jīntiān qù háishi míngtiān qù?
Shall we go today or tomorrow?
他是老师还是学生？
Tā shì lǎoshī háishi xuésheng?
Is he a teacher or a student?
语法 yǔfǎ · Grammar
When both options share a verb, it can be repeated (喝茶还是喝咖啡) or, more compactly, stated once (喝茶还是咖啡). With 是-sentences, 还是 usually keeps 是 on both sides: 他是A还是B. A 还是 question can also be embedded in a statement: 我不知道他来还是不来 ("I don't know whether he's coming or not").
或者huòzhě或者 in Statements — A 或者 B
或者huòzhěor (in a statement; alternatives)
CONJ 连词 liáncí
Used in statements to present alternatives, any of which is acceptable: A 或者 B. It does not ask the listener to choose; it lists possibilities. Often shortened to 或 in writing. The doubled form 或者…或者… means "either… or…", and 或者 can open a clause to mean "or maybe / alternatively."
你可以坐地铁或者坐公交车。
Nǐ kěyǐ zuò dìtiě huòzhě zuò gōngjiāochē.
You can take the subway or the bus.
周末我看书或者看电影。
Zhōumò wǒ kàn shū huòzhě kàn diànyǐng.
On weekends I read or watch films.
明天或者后天都可以。
Míngtiān huòzhě hòutiān dōu kěyǐ.
Tomorrow or the day after, either works.
还是 = stillháishi = réngránThe Other 还是 — Still / After All
Outside choice questions, 还是 is also a very common adverb meaning "still" or "after all." As "still," it reports that a situation has not changed: 他还是没来 ("he still hasn't come"), 天还是很冷 ("it's still very cold"). This sense overlaps with 还 hái (still, yet) and with 仍然 réngrán (still, in writing).
As "after all / had better," 还是 marks a settled preference reached after weighing options: 我们还是走吧 ("let's get going then / we'd better go"), 你还是早点儿睡 ("you'd better sleep early after all"). This use often follows some deliberation and gently recommends one course. Because this 还是 lives in statements while the "or" 还是 lives in questions, the sentence type keeps the two meanings apart in practice.
辨析biànxīThe Rule — Question or Statement?
辨析 biànxī · The Quick Rule
The single test is the sentence type. If you are asking the listener to choose, it is a question, and the "or" is 还是: 你要大的还是小的？("Do you want the big one or the small one?"). If you are stating that the options are all fine, it is a statement, and the "or" is 或者: 大的或者小的都行 ("the big one or the small one, either is fine").
A useful cross-check: a 还是 choice question never takes 吗 (the choice already makes it a question), while 或者 appears in plain statements that make no question at all. So if you find yourself wanting to add 吗 to a sentence with "or," you have probably reached for the wrong word; rebuild it as A 还是 B without 吗. Decide question-or-statement first, and the right "or" falls into place.
相关xiāngguānRelated
Related entries — pages and vocabulary in the neighbourhood of this one
Both mean 'or,' but 还是 háishi is used in questions offering a choice ('Do you want tea 还是 coffee?'), while 或者 huòzhě is used in statements presenting alternatives ('Tea 或者 coffee, either is fine'). The simple rule: 还是 for 'or' in questions, 或者 for 'or' in statements. Swapping them is one of the most common learner errors with Chinese conjunctions.
How do you ask 'A or B?' in Chinese?
Use 还是: A 还是 B？For example, 你喝茶还是咖啡？('Do you want tea or coffee?'), 我们今天去还是明天去？('Shall we go today or tomorrow?'). 还是 sits between the two options and signals that you want the listener to pick one. Note that this kind of choice question does not take the particle 吗 at the end.
When do you use 或者?
Use 或者 in statements where any of the options would do: 你可以喝茶或者咖啡 ('you can have tea or coffee'), 周末我看书或者看电影 ('on weekends I read or watch films'). It presents alternatives without asking the listener to choose. In casual speech 或者 is sometimes shortened to 或, and 或者 can also begin a clause meaning 'or maybe / alternatively.'
Does 还是 have another meaning besides 'or'?
Yes. Outside of choice questions, 还是 háishi often means 'still' or 'after all,' as an adverb: 他还是没来 ('he still hasn't come'), 我们还是走吧 ('let's go after all / we'd better go'). In this use 还是 expresses that a situation continues, or signals a settled preference after weighing options. Context (a question versus a statement) tells you which 还是 you are dealing with.