或者

Chinese

		maybe; perhaps; might maybe; perhaps; might; possibly; or	‑ist, ‑er (person); person (who does sth)
simp. and trad. (或者)		或	者

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): huòzhě

(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄓㄜˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): waak⁶ ze² / waa⁶ ze²
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fe̍t-chá
Eastern Min (BUC): hĕ̤k-ciā
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): he̍k-chiá / hia̍k-chiá

(Teochew, Peng'im): hog⁸ zia²
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁸ghoq-tse

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: huòzhě
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄓㄜˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: huòjhě
  - Wade–Giles: huo⁴-chê³
  - Yale: hwò-jě
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huohjee
  - Palladius: хочжэ (xočžɛ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ɔ⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: waak⁶ ze² / waa⁶ ze²
  - Yale: waahk jé / wah jé
  - Cantonese Pinyin: waak⁹ dze² / waa⁶ dze²
  - Guangdong Romanization: wag⁶ zé² / wa⁶ zé²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /waːk̚² t͡sɛː³⁵/, /waː²² t͡sɛː³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fe̍t-chá
  - Hakka Romanization System: fed za^ˋ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: fed⁶ za³
  - Sinological IPA: /fet̚⁵ t͡sa³¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: hĕ̤k-ciā
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /høyʔ⁵⁻³³ t͡sia³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: he̍k-chiá
  - Tâi-lô: hi̍k-tsiá
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hegciar
  - IPA (Xiamen, Taipei): /hiɪk̚⁴⁻³² t͡sia⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /hiɪk̚⁴⁻³² t͡sia⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiɪk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ t͡sia⁵³/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hia̍k-chiá
  - Tâi-lô: hia̍k-tsiá
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hiagciar
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /hiak̚²⁴⁻² t͡sia⁵⁵⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: hog⁸ zia²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ho̍k tsiá
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hok̚⁴⁻² t͡sia⁵²/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁸ghoq-tse
  - MiniDict: ghoh^入 tse
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁵hhoq-tse
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦoʔ¹¹ t͡se²³/

Conjunction

或者

or
甲或者乙 ― jiǎ huòzhě yǐ ― A or B
either ... or ...; or

Usage notes

In Mandarin, 或者 is exclusively used in statements, while 還是／还是 (háishì) is only used in questions. The inclusion of 還是／还是 in a sentence replaces the need for 嗎／吗 (ma) as a question word.
In Cantonese, 或者 is exclusively used in statements, while 抑或 (jik1 waak6) or 定係／定系 (ding6 hai6) is only used in questions.

Synonyms

(or): 或是 (huòshì), 或 (huò); (Hokkien) 抑是, 抑
(either ... or ...):

edit

一係／一系
或是 (huòshì)
要不 (yàobù)
要麼／要么 (yàome)

Adverb

或者

perhaps; maybe
- 18th century, Cao Xueqin, chapter 6, in Dream of the Red Chamber:
  
  如今王府雖陞了邊任，只怕這二姑太太還認得咱們。你何不去走動走動，或者他念舊，有些好處也未可定。只要他發一點好心，拔一根寒毛比咱們的腰還粗呢。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
  如今王府虽升了边任，只怕这二姑太太还认得咱们。你何不去走动走动，或者他念旧，有些好处也未可定。只要他发一点好心，拔一根寒毛比咱们的腰还粗呢。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
  Rújīn Wáng fǔ suī shēng le biānrèn, zhǐpà zhè èr gūtàitai hái rèn de zánmen. Nǐ hé bù qù zǒudòng zǒudòng, huòzhě tā niànjiù, yǒu xiē hǎochù yě wèi kě dìng. Zhǐyào tā fā yī diǎn hǎo xīn, bá yī gēn hánmáo bǐ zánmen de yāo hái cū ne. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 2001, Chiung Yao, 情深深雨濛濛, episode 18 (49 episodes version), 赵薇 (actor):
  
  書桓，我們馬上去找方瑜，把這件事情告訴他。或者還來得及救他。 [MSC, trad.]
  书桓，我们马上去找方瑜，把这件事情告诉他。或者还来得及救他。 [MSC, simp.]
  Shūhuán, wǒmen mǎshàng qù zhǎo Fāng Yú, bǎ zhè jiàn shìqing gàosu tā. Huòzhě hái láidejí jiù tā. [Pinyin]
  Shuhuan, let's immediately go and visit Fang Yu, and tell her this affair. Maybe it is yet able to make it to save her.
- 或者於某集，我可抬頭欣賞到你；或者一轉念便要失去你；或者轉折漸太多，遺忘怎擁抱你；或者擁緊偏已斷氣。 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
  或者于某集，我可抬头欣赏到你；或者一转念便要失去你；或者转折渐太多，遗忘怎拥抱你；或者拥紧偏已断气。 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]
  From: 連續劇 by Joey Yung
  waak⁶ ze² jyu¹ mau⁵ zaap⁶, ngo⁵ ho² toi⁴ tau⁴ jan¹ soeng² dou³ nei⁵; waak⁶ ze² jat¹ zyun² nim⁶ bin⁶ jiu³ sat¹ heoi³ nei⁵; waak⁶ ze² zyun² zit³ zim⁶ taai³ do¹, wai⁴ mong⁴ zam² jung² pou⁵ nei⁵; waak⁶ ze² jung² gan² pin¹ ji⁵ dyun⁶ hei³. [Jyutping]
  Maybe in a certain episode, I can lift my head up and admire you; maybe one second later I will lose you; maybe [I] have gone through too many things that [I] forgot how to embrace you; maybe [when I] hold [you] tightly, you have already breathed your last.

Synonyms

edit

也許／也许 (yěxǔ)
保不住 (bǎobuzhù) (colloquial)
保不定 (bǎobudìng) (colloquial)
保不齊／保不齐 (bǎobuqí) (colloquial)
備不住／备不住 (bèibuzhù) (regional)
凡勢／凡势 (hoān-sè) (Taiwanese Hokkien)
博定 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
可能 (kěnéng)
容許／容许 (róngxǔ) (literary)
怕係／怕系 (Hakka)
怕是 (pàshì)
或許／或许 (huòxǔ)
指不定 (zhǐbùdìng)
搞不好 (gǎobùhǎo)
歉采 (Hokkien)
殼張／壳张 (⁷khoq-tsan) (Wu, dated)
沒準兒／没准儿 (méizhǔnr) (colloquial)
興許／兴许 (xīngxǔ) (colloquial)
話勿出／话勿出 (⁶gho-veq-tsheq) (Wu)
話唔埋／话唔埋 (waa⁶ m⁴ maai⁴) (Cantonese)
話唔定／话唔定 (waa⁶ m⁴ ding⁶) (Cantonese)
說不定／说不定 (shuōbùdìng)
講勿定／讲勿定 (⁵kaon-veq-din) (Wu)
講唔定／讲唔定 (gong² m⁴ ding⁶) (Cantonese)
難免／难免 (nánmiǎn)

Noun

或者

(Classical) some people

Korean

Hanja in this term
或	者

Noun

或者 • (hokja) (hangeul 혹자)

hanja form^? of 혹자 (“some, someone, some people”)