(fǒu zé) - otherwise, or else, if not in Mandarin

fǒuzé

Traditional: 否則

Line drawing of 否则
Coloured illustration of 否则
HSK 4
#760 of 2,700Core 1000

Translation

otherwise, or else, if not

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Word origin

A compound of 否 (fou) 'not, negation' and 则 (ze) 'then, in that case'. Literally 'if not, then', hence 'otherwise'.

Origin
compound
Root
否 (fou, 'not') + 则 (ze, 'then')

Stroke order

Stroke order for 否

否

Stroke order for 则

则

Examples

,。

Hurry up, otherwise we will be late.

,。

You must study hard, or else you will regret it.

,。

Put on a hat, or else you will catch a cold.

,。

Hurry, otherwise you'll be late.

,。

Wear a coat, otherwise you'll be cold.

否则 (fǒu zé) means otherwise, or else, if not. It is used as a conjunction in everyday Mandarin speech.

Where this fits

Used in

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Mandarin · Free printables

否则: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "否则" (otherwise, or else, if not): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is taught in chapter 10, lesson 7: 否则, 并且, 以及 and 7 more words.