HSK 5 · VERSION 2.0#87
Expressing the Only Two Possibilities with “bú shì... jiù shì...”
不是……就是……
How it works
不是……就是…… (bú shì...jiù shì...) means “if not..., then...” or “either... or...” It presents two possible choices or outcomes and implies that one of them must be true.
The pattern
不是 (bú shì) + A, 就是 (jiù shì) + B
Example sentences
他最近不是在加班,就是在出差,几乎没有休息的时候。
Recently he is either working overtime or on business trips; he hardly has any time to rest.
这件事如果不是你记错了,就是我听错了,总得有一个地方出了问题。
If the problem is not that you remembered it incorrectly, then it must be that I heard it incorrectly. There must be some problem somewhere.
他不是对这个计划没信心,就是根本没认真考虑过。
Either he has no confidence in this plan, or he simply has not seriously thought about it.
Key point
This pattern narrows the situation down to two main possibilities.