HSK 6 grammar · conjunction
要么…要么…
要么…要么… — either … or …
Pattern
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
要么…要么… lays out two alternatives, exactly one of which holds — "either …, or …". It presents a choice to make or two possible explanations.
Examples
周末要么去爬山，要么去看电影。
Zhōumò yàome qù páshān, yàome qù kàn diànyǐng.
This weekend we'll either go hiking or see a movie.
你要么现在走，要么等我一起走。
Nǐ yàome xiànzài zǒu, yàome děng wǒ yìqǐ zǒu.
Either leave now or wait and go with me.
他不接电话，要么是在忙，要么是睡着了。
Tā bù jiē diànhuà, yàome shì zài máng, yàome shì shuìzháo le.
He's not answering — either he's busy or he's asleep.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 要么…要么… is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.