Kilo Lingo
Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 32

CEFR B1-B2

4 min read

Test yourself (18 questions)

Unless and In Case in Mandarin: 除非, 万一 and 要不是

By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026

Plain conditions take (rúguǒ)… (jiù), on if in Mandarin. These four add an attitude: a worried long shot, the only way out, the thing that did not happen, and the "even if" that is not a condition at all. Each has its own partner in the result.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Tap the word that fits.

  1. 带把伞吧，下雨呢。 (Take an umbrella, in case it rains.)

    dài bǎ sǎn ba ，___ xià yǔ ne 。 (Take an umbrella, in case it rains.)

  2. 你去，我才去。 (I'll only go if you go.)

    ___ nǐ qù ， wǒ cái qù 。 (I'll only go if you go.)

  3. 堵车，我早就到了。 (If it weren't for the traffic, I'd have been here ages ago.)

    ___ dǔ chē ， wǒ zǎo jiù dào le 。 (If it weren't for the traffic, I'd have been here ages ago.)

The whole system on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

opens the conditionmarks the resultWhat do the colours mean?
HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒ jiù bú qù.If it rains, I won't go
，。Wànyī tā bù lái, wǒmen jiù zìjǐ qù.If by any chance he doesn't come, we'll go alone
，。Chúfēi nǐ qù, wǒ cái qù.I'll only go if you go
，。Yàobúshì nǐ, wǒ zǎojiù zǒu le.If it weren't for you, I'd have left long ago
，。Jíshǐ xià yǔ, wǒ yě qù.Even if it rains, I'll go

How likely is the condition? That is what the opener tells you:

Could well happenDid not happen
  1. 如果: open
  2. 万一: a long shot
  3. 要不是: it did not happen

万一 (wànyī): in case it happens

opens the conditionmarks the resultWhat do the colours mean?

(wànyī) is literally "one in ten thousand". It is an if for the long shot, usually one you would rather avoid, and it takes (jiù) like (rúguǒ):

HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Wànyī nǐ wàng le, jiù gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà.If by any chance you forget, ring me
？Wànyī xià yǔ zěnme bàn?What if it rains?
，。Dài bǎ sǎn ba, wànyī xià yǔ ne.Take an umbrella, in case it rains

The last row is the "just in case" use: the advice first, then (wànyī) and a (ne) as the afterthought.

Swap in (rúguǒ) and the worry drains out: (rúguǒ xià yǔ) is a plain "if it rains". Swap (wànyī) into a hopeful plan, (wànyī nǐ yǒu shíjiān), and you make the other person's free time sound like a long shot.

除非 (chúfēi): unless, with 才 (cái)

opens the conditionmarks the resultWhat do the colours mean?

(chúfēi) names the only way something will happen. So the result takes (cái), "only then", where (rúguǒ) takes (jiù):

HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Chúfēi nǐ qù, wǒ cái qù.I'll only go if you go
，。Chúfēi nǐ xiān dāying wǒ, wǒ cái gàosu nǐ.I'll only tell you if you promise first
，。Chúfēi nǐ xiànzài zǒu, bùrán nǐ huì chídào.Unless you leave now, you'll be late
，。Wǒ bú qù, chúfēi nǐ yě qù.I'm not going unless you go too

The first two say "only if"; the third says "unless, or else", with (bùrán) or the more written (fǒuzé) before the bad outcome. (zhǐyǒu)… (cái) says "only if" the same way: see 只要 and 只有. The last row puts the (chúfēi) clause second, which is common in speech when the refusal comes first.

要不是 (yàobúshì): if it weren't for

opens the conditionmarks the resultWhat do the colours mean?

(yàobúshì) is followed by something that DID happen. The result says what would have happened without it, and it usually ends in (le):

HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Yàobúshì nǐ, wǒ zǎojiù zǒu le.If it weren't for you, I'd have left long ago
，。Yàobúshì dǔchē, wǒ zǎojiù dào le.But for the traffic, I'd have been here ages ago
，。Yàobúshì xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù qù gōngyuán le.If it hadn't rained, we'd have gone to the park

(zǎojiù) is (jiù) with (zǎo), "long since", in front: it says the result would have come well before now. When there is no "long ago" in the meaning, plain (jiù) does it, as in the last row.

Mandarin has no special verb form for "would have". (yàobúshì) has already told the listener that the result did not happen, so nothing else changes.

即使 (jíshǐ)…也 (yě): even if, which is not an if

opens the conditionmarks the resultWhat do the colours mean?

A condition says the result depends on it. (jíshǐ), "even if", says the result happens anyway, so it takes (yě), "still":

HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒ jiù bú qù.If it rains, I won't go
，。Jíshǐ xià yǔ, wǒ yě qù.Even if it rains, I'll go
，。Jíshǐ tā bù tóngyì, wǒ yě yào qù.Even if he disagrees, I'm going

In the first row the rain decides; in the second it makes no difference. The spoken (jiùsuàn) works the same way. The whole family is on even though and even if.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
，。，。 (chúfēi) takes (cái)
，。，。 (jíshǐ) takes (yě)
，。，。the result that did not happen ends in (le)

What to do next

  1. Do the drill below.
  2. Give one piece of advice with (wànyī) and one condition with … (chúfēi…cái).
  3. Thank someone with (yàobúshì nǐ)… and say what would have happened.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/5

Which word goes in front of the verb of the result?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/4

Tap the word that fits.

  1. 带把伞吧，下雨呢。 (Take an umbrella, in case it rains.)

    dài bǎ sǎn ba ，___ xià yǔ ne 。 (Take an umbrella, in case it rains.)

  2. 你去，我才去。 (I'll only go if you go.)

    ___ nǐ qù ， wǒ cái qù 。 (I'll only go if you go.)

  3. 堵车，我早就到了。 (If it weren't for the traffic, I'd have been here ages ago.)

    ___ dǔ chē ， wǒ zǎo jiù dào le 。 (If it weren't for the traffic, I'd have been here ages ago.)

  4. 下雨，我也去。 (Even if it rains, I'm going.)

    ___ xià yǔ ， wǒ yě qù 。 (Even if it rains, I'm going.)

Spot the mistake

0/2

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. chú fēi nǐ qù ， wǒ jiù qù 。

  2. jí shǐ xià yǔ ， wǒ jiù qù 。

Complete the story

0/3

Choose the word for each gap.

The late train

火车十点开。我说：带把伞吧，下雨呢。路上堵车。堵车，我们早就到了。朋友说：我们跑着去，不然会错过火车。

Gap 1 of 3

Matching

0/4

Match each sentence to its English.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'unless' in Mandarin?
With (chúfēi), and the result takes (cái), 'only then': ， (chúfēi nǐ qù, wǒ cái qù), I'll only go if you go. Or put the consequence after (bùrán): ， (chúfēi nǐ xiànzài zǒu, bùrán nǐ huì chídào), unless you leave now, you'll be late.
What does (wànyī) mean?
Literally 'one in ten thousand': if by any chance, usually of something you would rather did not happen. ， (dài bǎ sǎn ba, wànyī xià yǔ ne), take an umbrella, in case it rains. The result takes (jiù), as with (rúguǒ).
What is the difference between (rúguǒ) and (wànyī)?
(rúguǒ) is a plain if. (wànyī) adds that the condition is a long shot, and usually an unwelcome one: (wànyī tā bù lái), if by any chance he doesn't come. It is the word for spare keys and backup plans.
How do you say 'if it weren't for' in Mandarin?
(yàobúshì) + the thing that did happen, then the result that would have followed, usually with (zǎojiù) or (jiù) and a final (le): ， (yàobúshì nǐ, wǒ zǎojiù zǒu le), if it weren't for you, I'd have left long ago.
Is (jíshǐ) a kind of 'if'?
No: it means 'even if', and the result happens anyway, so it takes (yě), not (jiù). ， (rúguǒ xià yǔ, wǒ jiù bú qù), if it rains I won't go; ， (jíshǐ xià yǔ, wǒ yě qù), even if it rains, I'll go.