幸亏…不然…
HSK 5- Conditionals
Structure (结构 jiégòu)
Meaning (意思 yìsi)
幸亏…不然… expresses fortunate avoidance of a bad outcome, meaning 'luckily… otherwise…'.
Explanation (解释 jiěshì)
This structure is used to express relief. The first clause uses 幸亏 (xìngkuī) to introduce a fortunate action or situation that occurred. The second clause uses 不然 (bùrán), 要不然 (yàoburán), or 否则 (fǒuzé) to indicate a negative outcome that could have happened without that good fortune. It roughly translates as 'luckily… otherwise…'.
Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)
- 幸亏你提醒我，不然我就忘了带护照。繁: 幸虧你提醒我，不然我就忘了帶護照。Xìngkuī nǐ tíxǐng wǒ, bùrán wǒ jiù wàng le dài hùzhào.
It's a good thing you reminded me, otherwise I would have forgotten to bring my passport.
- 幸亏我们带了伞，不然就淋湿了。繁: 幸虧我們帶了傘，不然就淋溼了。Xìngkuī wǒmen dài le sǎn, bùrán jiù lín shī le.
It's fortunate that we brought an umbrella, otherwise we would have gotten soaked.
- 幸亏我复习了，不然这次考试肯定不及格。繁: 幸虧我複習了，不然這次考試肯定不及格。Xìngkuī wǒ fùxí le, bùrán zhè cì kǎoshì kěndìng bù jígé.
It's a good thing I reviewed the material, or I definitely would have failed this exam.
- 幸亏跑得快，不然就赶不上火车了。繁: 幸虧跑得快，不然就趕不上火車了。Xìngkuī pǎo de kuài, bùrán jiù gǎnbushàng huǒchē le.
Fortunately I ran fast, otherwise I would have missed the train.
- 幸亏发现得早，不然病就严重了。繁: 幸虧發現得早，不然病就嚴重了。Xìngkuī fāxiàn de zǎo, bùrán bìng jiù yánzhòng le.
It's fortunate that we discovered it early, otherwise the illness would have become serious.
Common mistakes
- Wrong:幸亏堵车，不然我就迟到了。Correct:幸亏没堵车，不然我就迟到了。
幸亏 must go with a fortunate event. "Traffic jam" is an unlucky situation, so 幸亏 cannot be used.
- Wrong:幸亏你提醒我，我忘了带护照。Correct:幸亏你提醒我，不然我就忘了带护照。
不然 is an obligatory connective clause that indicates a negative consequence that has been avoided; without it, the sentence loses its connection.