HSK 4 grammar · conjunction
否则
否则 — otherwise / or else
Pattern
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( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
否则 joins a first statement to a warning of what will happen if it does not hold — "otherwise", "or else". It means roughly "if not so", and the clause after it gives the (usually bad) result.
Examples
快点儿走，否则要迟到了。
Kuài diǎnr zǒu, fǒuzé yào chídào le.
Hurry up, or we'll be late.
你得多穿点，否则会感冒。
Nǐ děi duō chuān diǎn, fǒuzé huì gǎnmào.
You should dress warmly, otherwise you'll catch a cold.
幸好带了伞，否则就淋湿了。
Xìnghǎo dài le sǎn, fǒuzé jiù lín shī le.
Luckily I brought an umbrella, or I'd have gotten soaked.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 否则 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.