How common it is
还是 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say háishì slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“还是”可以用来表示选择或者强调某一方。
háishì kěyǐ lái bǎo shí biǎoshì xuǎnzé huòqì zhēngtiān yīfāng 。
"还是" can be used to indicate a choice or emphasize one side.
Context note
“还是”常用于对话中，比如选择食物或者决定周末活动。
háishì cháng yòng yú huàtōng zhōng ， bǐrú xuǎnzé shíwù huòqì juédìnɡ wēikòu huódònɡ 。
"还是" is commonly used in conversations, such as choosing food or deciding weekend activities.
5 examples
我吃苹果还是香蕉？
wǒ chī píng guǒ hái shì xiāng jiāo？
Should I eat an apple or a banana?
我们还是去看电影吧。
wǒ men hái shì qù kàn diàn yǐng ba。
Let's still go see a movie.
他还是喜欢足球。
tā hái shì xǐ huan zú qiú。
He still likes soccer.
我还是去图书馆。
wǒ hái shì qù tú shū guǎn。
I'll still go to the library.
你还是早点回家吧。
nǐ hái shì zǎo diǎn huí jiā ba。
You should still go home early.
5 mini stories
妈妈说今天天气好，我们还是去公园玩吧。爸爸不同意，他说还是在家里看书。
mā ma shuō jīn tiān tiān qì hǎo， wǒ men hái shì qù gōng yuán wán ba。 bà ba bù tóng yì， tā shuō hái shì zài jiā lǐ kàn shū。
Mom said the weather was nice, so we should still go to the park. Dad disagreed and said that we should still stay at home reading books.
小明说他还是喜欢吃汉堡，但是妈妈坚持让他吃蔬菜。
xiǎo míng shuō tā hái shì xǐ huan chī hàn bǎo， dàn shì mā ma jiān chí ràng tā chī shū cài。
Xiaoming said he still likes hamburgers, but his mom insisted on him eating vegetables.
姐姐说她还是喜欢画画，弟弟却说他还是喜欢玩游戏。
jiě jie shuō tā hái shì xǐ huan huà huà， dì di què shuō tā hái shì xǐ huan wán yóu xì。
The older sister said she still likes drawing, while the younger brother said he still likes playing games.
我们还是去书店买书吧。妈妈觉得太贵了，但是爸爸坚持要买。
wǒ men hái shì qù shū diàn mǎi shū ba。 mā ma jué de tài guì le， dàn shì bà ba jiān chí yào mǎi。
Let's still go to the bookstore to buy books. Mom thinks it's too expensive, but Dad insists on buying them.
他还是喜欢看科幻电影，但是这次他说要看喜剧片。
tā hái shì xǐ huan kàn kē huàn diàn yǐng， dàn shì zhè cì tā shuō yào kàn xǐ jù piàn。
He still likes watching science fiction movies, but this time he said he wants to watch comedies.