Level 3 · Intermediate
Either … or: 要么…要么…
要么 A，要么 B · Traditional: 要麼 A，要麼 B
要么…要么… lays out two options in a STATEMENT: 要么你去，要么他去 "either you go or he goes". Each 要么 heads its own clause, and the tone says pick one — it often ends with a nudge like 你们决定吧 "you decide".
Don't reach for 还是 here: that "or" only builds questions. The plain everyday "or" for statements is 或者 (你可以喝茶或者咖啡 "you can have tea or coffee"); 要么…要么 adds the "it's one or the other" pressure that 或者 doesn't have.
Examples
要么你去，要么他去，你们决定吧。
要麼你去，要麼他去，你們決定吧。
yào me nǐ qù yào me tā qù nǐ men jué dìng ba
Either you go or he goes — you two decide.
周末我要么在家看书，要么出去跑步。
週末我要麼在家看書，要麼出去跑步。
zhōu mò wǒ yào me zài jiā kàn shū yào me chū qù pǎo bù
On weekends I either read at home or go out running.
要么现在走，要么等到明天。
要麼現在走，要麼等到明天。
yào me xiàn zài zǒu yào me děng dào míng tiān
Either we leave now, or we wait until tomorrow.
你可以喝茶或者咖啡。
nǐ kě yǐ hē chá huò zhě kā fēi
You can have tea or coffee.
Common mistakes
✗ 我想喝茶还是咖啡。
✓ 我想喝茶或者咖啡。
还是 only asks questions — statements use 或者, or 要么…要么 for "pick one".
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like A Saturday of Choices (Part 1) inside the Literate Chinese app.
