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HSK 4 Connectors & compound sentences

否则

Otherwise with 否则

Structure (do / be X),否则 + bad consequence

否则 (fǒuzé) means "otherwise, or else" and warns of what will happen if the first part isn’t met: 快走,否则要迟到了 = "hurry up, or we’ll be late". It goes at the start of the second clause. In casual speech 要不然 or 不然 is more common.

Examples

  • 快kuài走zǒu,否fǒu则zé要yào迟chí到dào了le。

    Hurry, or we’ll be late.

  • 多duō穿chuān点diǎn儿r,否fǒu则zé会huì感gǎn冒mào。

    Dress warmly, or you’ll catch a cold.

  • 你nǐ要yào努nǔ力lì,否fǒu则zé会huì失shī败bài。

    You have to try hard, or you’ll fail.

Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.

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