或
huò
Or; perhaps, maybe
或 (huò) — either… or…
或 (huò) + A + 或 (huò) + B
HSK 7–93.0
Pattern diagram
或Adjective或Adjective
Rule structure
The pattern 或 (huò)A或 (huò)B links two parallel words and means "either A or B; one way or another." It is usually a fixed four-character combination, often with antonyms: 或早或晚 (huò zǎo huò wǎn), 或去或留 (huò qù huò liú). It sounds somewhat formal and compact in colloquial speech.
Rule structure
The pattern 或 (huò)A或 (huò)B links two parallel words and means "either A or B; one way or another." It is usually a fixed four-character combination, often with antonyms: 或早或晚 (huò zǎo huò wǎn), 或去或留 (huò qù huò liú). It sounds somewhat formal and compact in colloquial speech.
Examples
他或早或晚都会知道这件事。
Tā huò zǎo huò wǎn dōu huì zhīdào zhè jiàn shì.
He will find out about this sooner or later.
Examples
他或早或晚都会知道这件事。
Tā huò zǎo huò wǎn dōu huì zhīdào zhè jiàn shì.
He will find out about this sooner or later.
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Words from this rule
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “either… or…” in Chinese with 或?
Use the structure: 或 (huò) + A + 或 (huò) + B. For example: 他或早或晚都会知道这件事。 — “He will find out about this sooner or later”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
他或早或晚都会知道这件事。 — “He will find out about this sooner or later”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9.
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More HSK 3.0 Levels 7–9 grammar rules
动不动 就 — at the slightest thing, just
Subj. + 动不动 (dòngbudòng) 就 (jiù) + Verb
仅次于 — second only to
Subj. + 仅次于 (jǐn cì yú) + X
个 — casual small action
Verb + 个 (ge) + Noun
除外 — except for, excluding
Noun + 除外 (chúwài)
不亚于 — no worse than
Subject + 不亚于 (bú yà yú) + Noun
可不 — enthusiastic agreement
可不 (kě bu) / 可不是嘛 (kě bú shì ma) — a standalone confirming reply
说到哪儿去了 — polite reply to praise
说到哪儿去了 (shuō dào nǎr qù le) — a standalone polite reply
非 — neither A nor B
非 (fēi) + Noun/Adj. A + 非 (fēi) + Noun/Adj. B