要么

yào me

HSK 2.0 Level 5 HSK 3.0 Level 6 Conjunction Common

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Definitions

1. or
2. either one or the other

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Word relationships

Synonyms

1 item

• 或者 huò zhě 或者 huò zhě or both mean 'or', but 要么 is more emphatic and often used in 'either ... or ...' constructions: or

Usage notes

Common mistakes

要么 often pairs with 要么 for 'either...or...'; don't use 或者 in this structure.

Formality

要么 is more conversational and emphatic than 或者, and is common in spoken Chinese.

Grammar

Guides that feature 要么

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1 guide

HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 5+ 7 min

Alternatives with 要么...要么

Use 要么...要么 to frame choices, tradeoffs, and decisions at HSK 5.

Reading: yào me Open guide

Example Sentences

1 shown

要么 你去， 要么 我去。

Either you go, or I go.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 要么

• 要 要 yāo: (bound form) to demand; to coerce
• 要 要 yào: to want; to need; to ask for
• 么 么 má: exclamatory final particle
• 么 么 ma: interrogative final particle