否则 — otherwise

否则

fǒuzé

otherwise

conjunction · HSK 4 · topic “On the road: transportation”

How to pronounce it

否则 is read fǒu zé: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

fǒu — 3rd tonelow, dipping and rising a little

zé — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”

How to write it

否

fǒu — no, not (literary)

On top, 不 “not”; at the bottom, 口 “mouth”: to say “no”.

则

zé — rule; then

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “否则”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 否则. Tap the sound icon to listen.

赶快走吧，否则来不及了。gǎnkuàizǒuba,fǒuzéláibujíleLet's go, quick, or we won't make it.
我们要加快速度，否则来不及。wǒmenyàojiākuàisùdù,fǒuzéláibujíWe need to speed up, or we won't make it.
你最好承认，否则大家会更生气。nǐzuìhǎochéngrèn,fǒuzédàjiāhuìgèngshēngqìYou'd better admit it, otherwise everyone will be even angrier.
除非下大雨，否则比赛不会取消。chúfēixiàdàyǔ,fǒuzébǐsàibúhuìqǔxiāoThe match won't be canceled unless it rains hard.
除非你去否则我不去chúfēinǐqù,fǒuzéwǒbúqùI'll go only if you go.

More words from the lesson “Right on time”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

What does 否则 mean?

否则 (fǒuzé) means “otherwise”.

How do you write 否则?

否则 is 2 characters: 否 (fǒu) — no, not (literary); 则 (zé) — rule; then. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 否则?

否则 is read fǒuzé. Tones: fǒu — third tone, zé — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“otherwise” in the lesson “Right on time”

This word is from the topic “On the road: transportation” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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