not the case; otherwise (conj.)
HSK 5
Traditional
不然 (unaltered)
Radicals
Stroke order
Examples
你必须早点出发，不然会迟到的。 nǐ bìxū zǎo diǎn chūfā, bùrán huì chídào de. - You must leave early, otherwise you will be late.
他没有好好学习，不然就不能通过考试。 tā méiyǒu hǎohāo xuéxí, bùrán jiù bùnéng tōngguò kǎoshì. - He didn't study well, otherwise he won't pass the exam.
你不做作业，不然老师会批评你的。 nǐ bù zuò zuòyè, bùrán lǎoshī huì pīpíng nǐ de. - If you don't do your homework, the teacher will criticize you.
我们必须解决这个问题，不然会影响整个项目。 wǒmen bìxū jiějué zhège wèntí, bùrán huì yǐngxiǎng zhěnggè xiàngmù. - We must solve this problem, otherwise it will affect the entire project.
你必须遵守规定，不然就会受到处罚。 nǐ bìxū zūnshǒu guīdìng, bùrán jiù huì shòudào chǔfá. - You must follow the rules, otherwise you will be punished.
Characters
不 bù - not; no (negation) | HSK 1
然 rán - (lit.) so, like that; (lit.) but, nonetheless, however |