When used as a conjunction, 不然 (bùrán) means 'otherwise' or 'or else'. It connects two clauses, where the second clause describes the consequence if the action or state of the first clause is not met.
It often implies a negative or undesirable outcome if the condition isn't fulfilled. Think of it as 'if not, then...'.
When used as a conjunction, 不然 (bùrán) means "otherwise" or "if not." It introduces a consequence or alternative that will occur if the preceding statement or condition is not met. It implies a direct, often negative, consequence of not doing something.
For example, if you say, "You should study hard, 不然 you won't pass the exam," it means if you don't study hard, the consequence is not passing the exam.
It's a very common and practical word to express conditional outcomes in everyday Chinese conversations.
How Formal Is It?
"你必须努力工作，否则会失败。(Nǐ bìxū nǔlì gōngzuò, fǒuzé huì shībài.) - You must work hard; otherwise, you will fail."
"快点走，不然我们就迟到了。(Kuài diǎn zǒu, bùrán wǒmen jiù chídào le.) - Hurry up, or else we'll be late."
"赶紧把作业写完，要不然就不能出去玩。(Gǎnjǐn bǎ zuòyè xiě wán, yàobùrán jiù bù néng chūqù wán.) - Finish your homework quickly, or you can't go out to play."
"你得乖乖吃饭，不这样就长不高。(Nǐ dé guāiguāi chīfàn, bù zhèyàng jiù zhǎng bù gāo.) - You have to eat well, or you won't grow tall."
"你不说清楚，不然咧？ (Nǐ bù shuō qīngchǔ, bùrán liē?) - You don't make it clear, then what?"
알아야 할 문법
It links two clauses, where the second clause states an undesirable consequence if the action in the first clause is not performed. It is often used to give advice or warnings.
你得多练习，不然你会忘记的。(You need to practice more, otherwise you will forget it.)
It can be used alone as a short reply to imply 'or else not' or 'if not'.
A: 你要去吗？ (Are you going?) B: 不然呢？ (Otherwise [I'm not] / What else? [implying 'yes, of course I am'])
It often appears at the beginning of the second clause, after a pause.
快点走，不然我们就迟到了。(Hurry up, or else we'll be late.)
The consequence clause introduced by 不然 can be a statement of fact or a suggestion.
你应该早点睡，不然明天会很困。(You should go to bed early, otherwise you'll be very sleepy tomorrow.)
It can be used interchangeably with '要不然' (yào bù rán) in many contexts, especially in spoken Chinese, with '要不然' being slightly more informal.
你得认真学习，要不然会考不好。(You must study hard, or else you won't do well on the exam.)
수준별 예문
你得快点儿，不然就赶不上火车了。
You have to hurry, otherwise you'll miss the train.
他病得很重，不然他会来参加派对的。
He is very sick, otherwise he would come to the party.
请把门锁好，不然会有小偷进来。
Please lock the door, or else thieves might come in.
你最好现在就开始学习，不然考试会不及格的。
You'd better start studying now, otherwise you'll fail the exam.
我们应该提前预订机票，不然可能买不到票了。
We should book the plane tickets in advance, otherwise we might not be able to get tickets.
多穿点衣服，不然会感冒的。
Wear more clothes, otherwise you'll catch a cold.
你得听我的，不然会有麻烦。
You have to listen to me, otherwise there will be trouble.
请注意交通安全，不然很容易发生事故。
Please pay attention to traffic safety, otherwise accidents can easily happen.
관용어 및 표현
"不然的话"
otherwise (often used to introduce a negative consequence if a certain action isn't taken)
你快点走，不然的话会迟到。
neutral"要不然"
otherwise; or else (similar to 不然, often used in spoken Chinese)
你得努力学习，要不然会落后。
neutral"否则"
otherwise; if not (more formal than 不然)
请按时完成任务，否则会影响进度。
formal"不然呢"
what else could it be? (rhetorical question, implying there's no other option)
你觉得我应该怎么做？不然呢？
informal"你快点，不然就来不及了。"
Hurry up, otherwise it will be too late.
你快点，不然就来不及了。
neutral"不然我怎么知道？"
How else would I know? (rhetorical question)
他没告诉我，不然我怎么知道？
informal"你得去，不然他们会不高兴的。"
You have to go, otherwise they will be unhappy.
你得去，不然他们会不高兴的。
neutral"不然我们换个地方？"
Or else we can change places? (suggesting an alternative)
这里太吵了，不然我们换个地方？
informal"不然我就不去了。"
Otherwise I won't go.
如果你不去，不然我就不去了。
neutral"好好学习，不然就考不好。"
Study hard, otherwise you won't do well on the exam.
好好学习，不然就考不好。
neutral암기하기
기억법
Think of it this way: '不然' (bùrán) sounds a bit like 'boo, run!' If you don't do something, 'boo, run!' something bad will happen. It's about a consequence if you don't act.
시각적 연상
Imagine two paths: one where you do something, and one where you don't. The '不然' path is the one with the negative consequence. Maybe there's a fork in the road, and if you don't take the right path, there's a big 'X' or a warning sign on the other path.
Word Web
챌린지
Try to construct sentences where '不然' connects two clauses, showing a consequence. For example: '你得快点，不然你会迟到。' (Nǐ děi kuài diǎn, bùrán nǐ huì chídào. - You need to be faster, otherwise you will be late.) Or, '多喝水，不然会生病。' (Duō hē shuǐ, bùrán huì shēngbìng. - Drink more water, or else you'll get sick.) Focus on situations where there's a clear 'if not this, then that' relationship.
셀프 테스트 36 질문
Listen for 'otherwise'.
Listen for 'or else'.
Listen for 'otherwise'.
Read this aloud:
快点吃，不然饭就冷了。
Focus: bù rán
당신의 답변:
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Read this aloud:
多喝水，不然会生病。
Focus: shēng bìng
당신의 답변:
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Read this aloud:
现在走，不然会堵车。
Focus: dǔ chē
당신의 답변:
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This means 'You should hurry, otherwise you will be late.' The word 不然 (bùrán) introduces the negative consequence.
This means 'You need to study hard, otherwise you won't do well on the test.' 不然 (bùrán) connects the action to its potential negative outcome.
This translates to 'We need to leave early, otherwise there will be traffic.' 不然 (bùrán) shows the result if the action isn't taken.
Choose the correct sentence using “不然” (bùrán) to mean 'otherwise' or 'or else'.
“你快点走，不然我们就迟到了。” (Nǐ kuài diǎn zǒu, bùrán wǒmen jiù chídào le.) means 'Hurry up, otherwise we'll be late.' This correctly uses “不然” to express a consequence if an action isn't taken.
Which of the following sentences correctly uses “不然” (bùrán)?
“你得努力学习，不然考不好。” (Nǐ děi nǔlì xuéxí, bùrán kǎo bù hǎo.) means 'You must study hard, otherwise you won't do well on the exam.' This sentence clearly shows the 'otherwise' or 'or else' meaning.
Select the sentence where “不然” (bùrán) is used correctly to indicate a negative consequence.
“你应该早点睡觉，不然明天会很累。” (Nǐ yīnggāi zǎo diǎn shuìjiào, bùrán míngtiān huì hěn lèi.) means 'You should go to bed early, otherwise you'll be very tired tomorrow.' This demonstrates the correct usage of “不然” for a consequence.
The sentence “你吃完饭，不然我们一起走。” (Nǐ chī wán fàn, bùrán wǒmen yīqǐ zǒu.) correctly uses “不然” to mean 'otherwise'.
This sentence is incorrect. “不然” implies a consequence if the first action doesn't happen. The sentence implies 'You finish eating, otherwise we'll go together,' which doesn't make logical sense. A better phrasing might be “你吃完饭，我们就可以一起走了。” (Nǐ chī wán fàn, wǒmen jiù kěyǐ yīqǐ zǒu le.) meaning 'Once you finish eating, we can go together.'
In the sentence “快点决定，不然我就不等你了。” (Kuài diǎn juédìng, bùrán wǒ jiù bù děng nǐ le.), “不然” means 'otherwise'.
“快点决定，不然我就不等你了。” (Kuài diǎn juédìng, bùrán wǒ jiù bù děng nǐ le.) means 'Decide quickly, otherwise I won't wait for you.' This is a correct use of “不然” to indicate a consequence.
The sentence “他喜欢咖啡，不然他喜欢茶。” (Tā xǐhuān kāfēi, bùrán tā xǐhuān chá.) is a correct use of “不然”.
This sentence is incorrect. “不然” is used to introduce a consequence, not to contrast two preferences. A simple 'and' or 'but' would be more appropriate here, or if you want to say 'he likes coffee, otherwise he would like tea', it still does not make logical sense. For contrasting preferences, you might use '但他不喜欢茶' (dàn tā bù xǐhuān chá - but he doesn't like tea) or '或者他喜欢茶' (huòzhě tā xǐhuān chá - or he likes tea) if it's an alternative.
Imagine you're planning a weekend trip with a friend. Write a short conversation where you suggest an activity and warn your friend about what might happen if they don't prepare for it, using '不然'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
A: 我们这周末去爬山怎么样？B: 好啊！不过你要带够水，不然会口渴。A: 知道了，不然中暑就不好了。
You are giving advice to a new student about studying Chinese. Write two sentences, using '不然' in the second sentence to explain the consequence of not studying diligently.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
学中文一定要多练习，不然很难有进步。每天都要听和说，不然会忘记学过的内容。
Write a short email to a colleague reminding them about an important deadline. Use '不然' to explain the negative outcome if they miss it.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
请务必在周五前提交报告，不然会影响整个项目的进度。谢谢合作。
根据短文，小明坚持锻炼的原因是什么？
Read this passage:
小明每天都坚持锻炼身体，不然他的身体状况会越来越差。他知道健康的重要性，所以从不偷懒。他还会注意饮食，不然光锻炼也不够。
根据短文，小明坚持锻炼的原因是什么？
短文中提到“不然他的身体状况会越来越差”，说明他坚持锻炼是为了避免身体变差。
短文中提到“不然他的身体状况会越来越差”，说明他坚持锻炼是为了避免身体变差。
这段文字主要提醒人们什么？
Read this passage:
你出门前一定要检查门窗是否关好，不然小偷很容易进来。而且，你还要把贵重物品收好，不然丢了就麻烦了。
这段文字主要提醒人们什么？
短文提到了关好门窗和收好贵重物品，都是为了居家安全。
短文提到了关好门窗和收好贵重物品，都是为了居家安全。
如果明天没有带伞，可能会发生什么？
Read this passage:
明天天气预报说会下雨，你出门的时候最好带把伞，不然可能会被淋湿。如果你有重要的文件，最好也用防水袋装好，不然会损坏。
如果明天没有带伞，可能会发生什么？
短文中明确提到“不然可能会被淋湿”。
短文中明确提到“不然可能会被淋湿”。
她非常努力地学习，______ 考试就不会通过。
The sentence implies a negative consequence if she doesn't study hard, which is exactly what '不然' conveys.
你必须提前预订，______ 到时候就没有座位了。
'不然' is used here to indicate that if you don't book in advance, there will be no seats, a clear negative consequence.
我们得节省开支，______ 财务状况会恶化。
'否则' is a synonym for '不然' and means 'otherwise' or 'if not'. It fits perfectly in this context to show a negative outcome if expenses are not cut.
使用“不然”时，通常预示着一个积极的结果。
“不然”通常用于预示一个消极或不理想的后果，强调如果不采取某项行动会发生什么不好的事情。
“不然”可以和“否则”互换使用，表达相同的意思。
在大多数情况下，“不然”和“否则”是同义词，都可以表示“否则”或“不然的话”，用来引出如果不满足前一个条件就会发生的后果。
当你说“你最好现在做，不然…”时，听者会明白不做某事的负面后果。
“不然”在这里明确地提示听者，如果不按照建议行动，将会面临不好的结果。这是“不然”的典型用法。
The speaker is giving a warning about missing important information.
The speaker is explaining why they invested all their savings.
The speaker is advising someone to book in advance.
Read this aloud:
你需要早点出发，不然交通可能会很拥堵。
Focus: bù rán
당신의 답변:
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Read this aloud:
我得赶紧完成这份报告，不然老板会不开心的。
Focus: bù rán
당신의 답변:
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Read this aloud:
我们必须遵守规定，不然会受到惩罚。
Focus: bù rán
당신의 답변:
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/ 36 correct
Perfect score!
예시
你最好快点，不然你会迟到的。
