否则
Traditional: 否則
fǒu zé HSK 4

English Meaning

📚 Example Sentences

快起床,否则会迟到。
Kuài qǐchuáng, fǒuzé huì chídào.
Get up quickly, or else you'll be late.
你要努力学习,否则会后悔。
Nǐ yào nǔlì xuéxí, fǒuzé huì hòuhuǐ.
You need to study hard, if not you'll regret it.
带上雨伞,否则会淋湿。
Dài shàng yǔsǎn, fǒuzé huì línshī.
Take an umbrella, or else you'll get wet.
快点儿,否则迟到了。
Kuài diǎnr, fǒuzé chídào le.
Hurry up, or else we'll be late.
带上伞,否则会淋湿。
Dài shàng sǎn, fǒuzé huì línshī.
Bring an umbrella, or you'll get wet.

💡 Memory Tip

Break it down: 否 (fǒu) means 'not' or 'negate,' and 则 (zé) means 'then' or 'rule.' So, 否则 literally means 'if not, then...'—helping you remember it introduces the 'then' part of a negative condition.

📝 Usage Notes

It is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese, across formal and informal contexts. It often appears in warnings, instructions, or logical arguments to emphasize a necessary action or condition to avoid a bad outcome.

📖 Grammar Points

Typically used in a structure: [Condition/Command], 否则 + [Negative Consequence]. For example: '你要努力学习,否则考试会不及格。' (You must study hard, otherwise you will fail the exam.) It can also follow '如果' to form '如果...否则...' but this is less common; usually '否则' alone implies the 'if not' condition.

🏯 Cultural Notes

It is a straightforward logical connector with no strong cultural nuances. In Chinese communication, using 否则 can sound direct or emphatic, which is acceptable in contexts like advice or warnings.

🔄 Similar Words

不然 (bùrán) is very similar and often interchangeable, but 否则 is slightly more formal and emphasizes a logical consequence. 要不然 (yàobùrán) is more colloquial and can also mean 'or' in a choice, while 否则 strictly means 'otherwise.'

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