還是

See also: 还是

Chinese

		pay back; return; also pay back; return; also; in addition; more; still; else; yet; (not) yet	be; yes; this
trad. (還是)		還	是
simp. (还是)		还	是

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): háishì

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄞˊ ㄕˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): waan⁴ si⁶
• Jin (Wiktionary): hai¹ si³
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): hâi-sǐ / hâi-sī

  (Teochew, Peng'im): huan⁵ si⁶

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹e-zy; ⁶ghe-zy; ⁶we-zy

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: háishì → háishi (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄞˊ ㄕˋ → ㄏㄞˊ ˙ㄕ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Tongyong Pinyin: háishi̊h
    • Wade–Giles: hai²-shih⁵
    • Yale: hái-shr
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hair.shyh
    • Palladius: хайши (xajši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xaɪ̯³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/ → /xaɪ̯³⁵ ʂʐ̩³/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: waan⁴ si⁶
    • Yale: wàahn sih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: waan⁴ si⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: wan⁴ xi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /waːn²¹ siː²²/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 環視／环视 還是／还是

• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: hai¹ si³
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /xai¹¹ sz̩⁴⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hâi-sǐ
    • Tâi-lô: hâi-sǐ
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hai²⁴⁻²² si²²/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hâi-sī
    • Tâi-lô: hâi-sī
    • Phofsit Daibuun: haisi
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hai²⁴⁻²² si²²/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hai¹³⁻²² si²²/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: huan⁵ si⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: huâⁿ sĭ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hũã⁵⁵⁻¹¹ si³⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹e-zy; ⁶ghe-zy; ⁶we-zy
    • MiniDict: e^平 zy; ghe^去 zy; we^去 zy
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹e-zr; ³hhe-zr; ³hhue-zr
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /e⁵⁵ zz̩²¹/, /ɦe²² zz̩⁴⁴/, /ɦue²² zz̩⁴⁴/

Adverb

還是

1. still

   我還是很喜歡你。 [MSC, trad.]
   我还是很喜欢你。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ háishì hěn xǐhuan nǐ. [Pinyin]

   I still like you a lot.

   其實我覺得吧，他還是太年輕了。 [MSC, trad.]
   其实我觉得吧，他还是太年轻了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Qíshí wǒ juéde ba, tā háishì tài niánqīng le. [Pinyin]

   Actually, I think he is still too young.

   現在形勢還是很嚴峻哪。 [MSC, trad.]
   现在形势还是很严峻哪。 [MSC, simp.]

   Xiànzài xíngshì háishì hěn yánjùn na. [Pinyin]

   The current situation is still very grim.

2. nevertheless; yet

   離異家庭到底還是會影響到孩子。 [MSC, trad.]
   离异家庭到底还是会影响到孩子。 [MSC, simp.]

   Líyì jiātíng dàodǐ háishì huì yǐngxiǎng dào háizi. [Pinyin]

   Children from divorced families will be affected in the end.

3. (chiefly Wu) used to form comparative structures; -er than

   儂還是伊長。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
   侬还是伊长。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

   ⁶non ⁶ghe-zy ⁶yi ⁶zan [Wugniu]

   He is taller than you.

4. had better; it would be best (to do something); one would be well-advised to

   這個討論還是由你來主持。 [MSC, trad.]
   这个讨论还是由你来主持。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhège tǎolùn háishì yóu nǐ lái zhǔchí. [Pinyin]

   You had better host this discussion.

   我們還是先談正事吧。 [MSC, trad.]
   我们还是先谈正事吧。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒmen háishì xiān tán zhèngshì ba. [Pinyin]

   We'd better discuss proper business first.

   要不我，我還是先回去吧。 [MSC, trad.]
   要不我，我还是先回去吧。 [MSC, simp.]

   Yàobù wǒ, wǒ háishì xiān huíqù ba. [Pinyin]

   I think it's best I leave.

Synonyms

• (still):

edit

• 仍 (réng)
• 仍是 (réngshì)
• 仍然 (réngrán)
• 仍舊／仍旧 (réngjiù)
• 依然 (yīrán)
• 依舊／依旧 (yījiù)
• 兀自 (wùzì) (dialectal or archaic)
• 原徑／原径 (⁶gnioe-cin) (Wu)
• 嘛閣／嘛阁 (Hokkien)
• 尚 (literary, or in compounds)
• 尚且 (shàngqiě)
• 本本 (Hakka)
• 猶且／犹且 (yóuqiě) (literary)
• 猶是／犹是 (Hokkien, Teochew)
• 猶然／犹然 (yóurán)
• 猶自／犹自 (yóuzì)
• 還／还 (hái)
• 都係／都系 (Cantonese)

 

• (had better): (colloquial) 頂好／顶好 (dǐnghǎo), 最好 (zuìhǎo), (Hokkien) 上好

Conjunction

還是

1. or

   你要吃中國菜還是日本料理？ [MSC, trad.]
   你要吃中国菜还是日本料理？ [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐ yào chī Zhōngguócài háishì Rìběn liàolǐ? [Pinyin]

   Do you want to eat Chinese food or Japanese food?

   無論你想吃中國菜還是日本料理，自助餐都會有你喜歡的。 [MSC, trad.]
   无论你想吃中国菜还是日本料理，自助餐都会有你喜欢的。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wúlùn nǐ xiǎng chī Zhōngguócài háishì Rìběn liàolǐ, zìzhùcān dōu huì yǒu nǐ xǐhuān de. [Pinyin]

   Whether you want Chinese or Japanese food, the buffet will have what you like.

   你們這次旅遊是自助還是跟團兒啊？ [MSC, trad.]
   你们这次旅游是自助还是跟团儿啊？ [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐmen zhèicì lǚyóu shì zìzhù háishi gēntuánr a? [Pinyin]

   For this trip, are you travelling by yourselves or with a tour group?

Usage notes

• In Mandarin, 還是／还是 (when meaning "or") is exclusively used in questions, in which context it replaces the need for 嗎／吗 (ma) as a question word; as well as in some fixed phrases with words like 不管 (bùguǎn) or 無論／无论 (wúlùn). Other senses of the word "or" in English are given by 或者 (huòzhě) (or 或 (huò)), which is only used in statements. For example, "A 或者 B" means "A or B".

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 還是 (“or”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		抑, 或
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		抑或, 還是
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	還是
	Singapore	還是
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	還是
Cantonese	Guangzhou	定係, 定
	Hong Kong	定係, 定, 抑或, 抑或係, 定抑或, 定抑或係, 還是, 定還是, 定還是係
	Taishan	毋, 毋又, 抑或
	Singapore (Guangfu)	定, 定係
Gan	Nanchang	還是
Hakka	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	還係, 也係
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	還係, 也係
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	還係, 也係
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	還係, 也係
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	還係, 也係
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	抑係
Huizhou	Jixi	還是
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	故是
Southern Min	Xiamen	抑是, 抑
	Quanzhou	抑是, 抑
	Zhangzhou	抑是, 抑
	Taipei	抑是
	Penang (Hokkien)	抑是
	Singapore (Hokkien)	抑是
	Manila (Hokkien)	抑是
	Chaozhou	抑是
	Singapore (Teochew)	抑是
Wu	Shanghai	還是
Xiang	Loudi	還是

See also

• 或 (huò)
• 或者 (huòzhě)