Chinese word

不然

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù rán

Meaning

  • conjunctionotherwise

Example

赶快吃饭，不然会饿。gǎn kuài chī fàn bù rán huì è

Eat quickly, otherwise you'll get hungry.

Illustration for 不然 (otherwise)

More examples

你先试试这个方法，要不然的话再换一个。nǐ xiān shì shì zhè ge fāng fǎ yào bù rán de huà zài huàn yí gè

First try this method; otherwise, switch to another one.

Core concept

A boundary between the advised choice and the bad outcome beyond it.

Common phrases

  • 要不然的话yào bù rán de huà

    otherwise

Similar words

否则fǒu zé: Shows in a relatively formal way that an unwanted result will follow if the action is not taken.
要不然yào bù rán: Gives an everyday spoken warning about what will happen if the advice is ignored.
要不yào bù: Gives a casual spoken warning about what will happen if the advice is ignored.
不然的话bù rán de huà: Clearly marks the condition that an unwanted result will follow if the advice is not followed.

Definition in Chinese

表示如果不按某种方式做，就会产生通常为不希望的后果，常含提醒或劝告意味，可作连词或插入语使用。biǎo shì rú guǒ bú àn móu zhǒng fāng shì zuò jiù huì chǎn shēng tōng cháng wèi bù xī wàng de hòu guǒ cháng hán tí xǐng huò quàn gào yì wèi kě zuò lián cí huò chā rù yǔ shǐ yòng

Word origin

不然 (bùrán, "otherwise") combines the ideas of negating a stated way and pointing to what follows instead, which led to its conditional conjunction use.

Usage tips

  • The word can also open a short follow-up remark, which makes it useful when a speaker adds a quick warning after an instruction or proposal.

Word lists with this word