Alternative, Conditional and Concessive Compound Sentences

Chinese grammar · HSK 6 · 选择、假设、条件与让步复句 · By Carson 木林森

要么…要么… (alternative): presents two mutually exclusive options: 要么现在走，要么错过火车 = 'either we leave now, or we miss the train'.

选择 xuǎn zé to select 假设 jiǎ shè to suppose

一旦…就… (conditional threshold): 'once X happens, then Y (follows)' — marks a trigger point, often for sudden or significant change: 一旦发现问题，就应该处理。

除非…才… (necessary condition): 'only if X, then Y' — X is the ONLY condition under which Y holds; without X, Y never happens: 除非你解释，他才会相信 (only if you explain will he believe it).

即使…也… (concessive-hypothetical): 'even if X (real or hypothetical, often extreme), still Y' — pairs with 也, NOT 但是. Contrast with 虽然…但是… which concedes a fact already known to be true; 即使…也… works for hypothetical or emphasized-extreme scenarios and always pairs with 也.

Worked examples

Chinese	Pinyin	English	What it shows
要么你来我家，要么我去你家，我们商量一下吧。	Yào me nǐ lái wǒ jiā, yào me wǒ qù nǐ jiā, wǒ men shāng liang yí xià ba.	Either you come to my place, or I go to yours — let's discuss it.	Minimal 要么…要么… frame: two mutually exclusive options
一旦发现问题，就应该立刻处理。	Yí dàn fā xiàn wèn tí, jiù yīng gāi lì kè chǔ lǐ.	Once a problem is found, it should be handled immediately.	New pattern: 一旦…就… marks a triggering threshold followed by an immediate consequence
除非公司提高待遇，员工才会愿意留下来。	Chú fēi gōng sī tí gāo dài yù, yuán gōng cái huì yuàn yì liú xià lái.	Only if the company raises compensation will employees be willing to stay.	New pattern: 除非…才… — the necessary (and only) condition for the result
即使明天下雨，我们也会按计划出发。	Jí shǐ míng tiān xià yǔ, wǒ men yě huì àn jì huà chū fā.	Even if it rains tomorrow, we'll still set off as planned.	New pattern: 即使…也… — a hypothetical concession, pairing with 也 (not 但是)
即使他失败了很多次，也从没想过要放弃。	Jí shǐ tā shī bài le hěn duō cì, yě cóng méi xiǎng guò yào fàng qì.	Even though he has failed many times, he has never thought of giving up.	即使…也… applied to a real repeated fact, still pairing with 也 rather than switching to 虽然…但是…

Produce this pattern without stopping to think about it. GraphChinese drills Alternative, Conditional and Concessive Compound Sentences across 13 exercises and schedules the review that keeps it.

What you need first

Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.

What this opens up

These patterns list Alternative, Conditional and Concessive Compound Sentences among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.

Multi-Layer Compound Sentences

Alternative, Conditional and Concessive Compound Sentences is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.

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