(hái shì) - or, still, had better in Mandarin

háishì

Traditional: 還是

Line drawing of 还是
Coloured illustration of 还是
HSK 3
#123 of 2,700Core 1000

Translation

or, still, had better

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Word origin

A compound of 还 (hai) 'still' and 是 (shi) 'to be'. Together they mean 'still is', and in questions mark the alternative 'or'.

Origin
compound
Root
还 (hai, 'still') + 是 (shi, 'to be')

Stroke order

Stroke order for 还

还

Stroke order for 是

是

Examples

?

Are you going or is he going?

。

You had better leave.

。

Let's just forget it.

?

Do you want tea or coffee?

。

We had better set off earlier.

还是 (hái shì) means or, still, had better. It is used as a conjunction in everyday Mandarin speech.

Where this fits

Used in

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Mandarin · Free printables

还是: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "还是" (or, still, had better): 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 4, lesson 2: 还是, 孩子, 看到 and 7 more words.