要么 — either… or
either… or
How to pronounce it
要么 is read yào me: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Below, 女 “woman”.
A suffix with no meaning of its own, read with the neutral tone.
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 “要么”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 要么. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 要么你来，要么我去。yàomenǐlái,yàomewǒqùEither you come here, or I'll go to you.
- 我们要么坐高铁要么坐飞机wǒmenyàomezuògāotiě,yàomezuòfēijīWe'll go either by high-speed train or by plane.
- 要么现在说要么永远别说yàomexiànzàishuō,yàomeyǒngyuǎnbiéshuōEither say it now, or never say it.
More words from the lesson “Either this or that”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
What does 要么 mean?
要么 (yàome) means “either… or”.
How do you write 要么?
要么 is 2 characters: 要 (yào) — want; need; 么 (me) — part of “what”. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 要么?
要么 is read yàome. Tones: yào — fourth tone, me — neutral tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“either… or” in the lesson “Either this or that”
This word is from the topic “Connectors and particles” of HSK 6. 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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