不是 … ,就是 … (either … or …)
Sleeping or reading — no third option
- no不是 … ,exactly就是 … = "either …, or …" — it's one of the two.
- he / him他no不是at / in在to go to bed睡觉,exactly就是at / in在to read看书 = "he's either sleeping or reading."
- It narrows things to exactly two possibilities.
no不是 + A,exactly就是 + B
- no不是…exactly就是… says the truth is A or B, nothing else.
he他either不是(doing)在sleep睡觉,or就是(doing)在read看书。
- no不是at / in在to go to bed睡觉,exactly就是at / in在to read看书 = "he's either sleeping or reading."
Explore
Correct or broken?
不是 A,就是 B: it's one of exactly two — and the two must differ.
Practice
He's either sleeping or reading: 他不是在睡觉,____ 在看书。
不是 + A,就是 + B = either A or B: 不是睡觉,就是看书.
Practice
不是…就是… says the answer is one of two.
Yes — either A or B, nothing else.
Recap
Key idea
- no不是 + A,exactly就是 + B — "either A or B" (one of the two)
- no不是you你,exactly就是he / him他 · no不是at / in在to go to bed睡觉,exactly就是at / in在to read看书
- Narrows things to exactly two possibilities
Read the full reference: HSK 5 grammar — Sentence patterns.
Practice
不是…就是… narrows things to…
不是你,就是他 = it's one of you two.