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否则

否則
fǒuzé
conjunction HSK 4 #824

Meanings

  1. 1 otherwise; or else
  2. 2 if not

Characters

否
fǒu
no; not; to negate
则
zé
then; in that case
Literally 'if not, then...' — introduces the negative consequence

Examples

快点出发，否则会迟到。
Kuài diǎn chūfā, fǒuzé huì chídào.
Leave quickly, otherwise you'll be late.
你必须努力学习，否则考不上大学。
Nǐ bìxū nǔlì xuéxí, fǒuzé kǎo bù shàng dàxué.
You must study hard, otherwise you won't get into college.
带把伞吧，否则下雨就麻烦了。
Dài bǎ sǎn ba, fǒuzé xiàyǔ jiù máfan le.
Bring an umbrella; otherwise if it rains, you'll be in trouble.

Tips

usage
否则 (otherwise, slightly formal) vs 要不然 (yàobùrán, otherwise, casual). Both mean 'otherwise' but 否则 is more common in writing, 要不然 in speech.

Stroke Order

否 fǒu
则 zé