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还是

hái shi

Old HSK 3 HSK 3.0 level 2 2-character word Traditional 還是

还是 (hái shi) means "or (in a question); still; had better". It is an HSK 3.0 level 2 word, and was HSK 3 in the old six-level list.

What 还是 means

1. still (as before)
2. had better
3. unexpectedly
4. or

How 还是 is used in grammar

还是 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Choice Questions with 还是 (HSK 1)
• 尽管…还是/仍然…: despite that (HSK 4)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 2, adverbs (语气副词); level 2, conjunctions (连接分句或者句子).

The characters in 还是

• 还háistill; still in progress; still more
• 是shìto be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true…

Example sentences

• 她还是独身
  Tā háishi dúshēn
  She's still single.
• 肉还是鱼？
  Meat or fish?
• 利率还是低。
  Lìlǜ háishi dī.
  Interest rates are still low.
• 我还是单身。
  I'm still single.
• 咖啡还是茶？
  Coffee or tea?
• 我还是很气。
  I'm still mad.

Words containing 还是

• 姜还是老的辣jiāng hái shì lǎo de làginger gets spicier as it gets older (idiom); the older, the wiser
• 姓蒋还是姓汪xìng Jiǎng hái shi xìng Wāngfriend or foe? (quote from 沙家浜

Where 还是 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Connectors, Conjunctions & Key Adverbs (HSK 3), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 3 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read hái shi correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.