# Chinese Grammar: 或……，或…… Alternatives | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-7-9-alternative-clauses-g101 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-7-9-g101 HSK levels: 7-9 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:57:43.648Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how 或……，或…… presents two possible courses, with formation guidance, examples, and a contrast with ordinary 或. Grammar [HSK 7-9 · Sentence types › Single-level complex sentences › Alternative clauses](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-7-9#hsk-7-9-g101) # Using 或……，或…… to Present Alternatives 或……，或…… presents alternatives or describes different actions within a group, depending on context. Learn to coordinate the parts and distinguish possible courses from a description of what different people actually do. 或 First alternative clause ，或 Second alternative clause Example sentence 会议结束后，代表们或乘地铁去机场，或留在附近继续讨论。 Huìyì jiéshù hòu, dàibiǎomen huò chéng dìtiě qù jīchǎng, huò liú zài fùjìn jìxù tǎolùn. After the meeting ends, the representatives may either take the subway to the airport or stay nearby and continue their discussion. The shared time phrase sets the context for both possible courses. **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Meaning and scope The outline places 或……，或…… under choice compound sentences in the simple compound sentence category for levels 7–9. This identifies the teaching scope; it does not establish which examination version is currently administered at any particular test centre. The repeated 或 introduces coordinated alternatives. With a future plan or condition, these may be possible courses: the team could do one thing or the other. With a plural subject in a description, they can also report different members’ actual actions or responses, roughly “some …, others ….” 或 does not by itself mean that the events are uncertain or have not occurred. 会议结束后，代表们或乘地铁去机场，或留在附近继续讨论。 Huìyì jiéshù hòu, dàibiǎomen huò chéng dìtiě qù jīchǎng, huò liú zài fùjìn jìxù tǎolùn. After the meeting ends, the representatives may either take the subway to the airport or stay nearby and continue their discussion. The shared time phrase sets the context for both possible courses. The alternatives need not be mutually exclusive in every imaginable situation. The construction presents them as the relevant options in the context. Make that relationship clear rather than using the pattern to join unrelated facts. ## Formation 或 First alternative clause ，或 Second alternative clause Place 或 before each of two clauses. The clauses should be grammatically complete enough to show what each option involves, and they commonly share a subject or context. A time, condition, or topic phrase may come before the paired clauses and apply to both. 面对这项安排，居民或表示支持，或提出具体的改进意见。 Miànduì zhè xiàng ānpái, jūmín huò biǎoshì zhīchí, huò tíchū jùtǐ de gǎijìn yìjiàn. In response to this arrangement, some residents expressed support, while others offered specific suggestions for improvement. Read as a report of residents’ responses, 或……或…… distributes the actions across the group. Context could instead make it a prediction; the markers alone do not decide the time or certainty. Use punctuation to make the clause boundary easy to read. The outline writes the pattern with a comma between its parts. In ordinary sentences, the surrounding sentence may determine punctuation; keep the two alternatives visibly coordinated. 项目进入下一阶段后，团队或扩大试点范围，或先集中解决数据问题。 Xiàngmù jìnrù xià yī jiēduàn hòu, tuánduì huò kuòdà shìdiǎn fànwéi, huò xiān jízhōng jiějué shùjù wèntí. Once the project enters its next phase, the team may either expand the pilot or first focus on resolving the data problem. Both clauses describe possible actions by the same team. ## When it is useful Use it to present relevant possible actions or outcomes, or to describe varied behavior within a group. The concise wording often suits written descriptions. A team deciding what to do illustrates possible alternatives; a report of residents’ different responses can describe things that actually happened. 如果天气突然转坏，船只或返回港口，或前往最近的避风地点。 Rúguǒ tiānqì tūrán zhuǎn huài, chuánzhī huò fǎnhuí gǎngkǒu, huò qiánwǎng zuìjìn de bìfēng dìdiǎn. If the weather suddenly turns bad, the boats may either return to port or head for the nearest sheltered place. The condition applies to both possible outcomes. For a direct choice question, a common form is 你想乘地铁还是坐出租车？ (“Do you want to take the subway or a taxi?”). The paired 或 pattern itself does not make a sentence interrogative. Whether a larger sentence containing 或 is a question depends on its question structure and context. - Before writing, identify the two alternatives and the situation that makes them relevant. - Check that each 或 introduces a clause with a clear action or outcome. - Read the full sentence to confirm that the relationship is a choice between possibilities, not a sequence or an explanation. ## A useful contrast A single 或 can join words or phrases as an ordinary “or.” Repeating 或 introduces the coordinated parts separately. These can be alternative courses or different actions distributed across a group; the surrounding context tells you whether to translate with “either … or …” or “some …, others ….” 会议结束后，代表们或乘地铁去机场，或留在附近继续讨论。 Huìyì jiéshù hòu, dàibiǎomen huò chéng dìtiě qù jīchǎng, huò liú zài fùjìn jìxù tǎolùn. After the meeting ends, the representatives may either take the subway to the airport or stay nearby and continue their discussion. The shared time phrase sets the context for both possible courses. Keep this lesson to 或……，或……. Other choice patterns use different wording and can express a different relationship, such as choosing one option at the cost of another. ## Frequently asked questions **Does 或……，或…… always describe a choice made by a person?** No. It can present possible outcomes or courses of action, including ones determined by circumstances rather than a deliberate personal choice. **Does the paired construction make the sentence a question?** No. It commonly presents alternatives in a statement. To ask someone to choose, use wording that clearly makes a request or asks about preference. **Must the two clauses have the same subject?** No, but they should be easy to understand as coordinated alternatives. A shared subject or context often makes the relationship clearer. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 406](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=406) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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