Kilo Lingo

(yào me) - either, or, either... or... in Mandarin

yàome

Traditional: 要麼

Line drawing of 要么
Coloured illustration of 要么
#1492 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

either, or, either... or...

Word origin

A compound of 要 (yào, to want, will) and the suffix particle 么 (me), used as a paired conjunction to present alternatives.

Origin
compound
Root
要 (yào, will) + 么 (me, particle)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 要

Stroke order for 么

Examples

Either you come, or I go.

At the weekend it is either reading or sleeping.

Either we take the bus or we walk.

Either you do it now, or you regret it later.

Either take all of it, or take none of it.

要么 (yàome) is a conjunction used in pairs to mean either... or..., setting out two alternatives. It combines 要 with the colloquial suffix 么.

Where this fits

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Mandarin · Free printables

要么: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "要么" (either, or, either... or...): 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 part of lesson 30.