除了…以外 (chúle…yǐwài) is often considered one of the core, ‘basic’ patterns in
Chinese grammar. It’s included in pretty much every Chinese textbook and course.
That’s because it’s really common and really useful! You can use it to express
“apart from”, “except” and “addition to”. For the main part of this structure,
you just put the exception or addition in between 除了 and 以外:
That can then be used to express “apart from something” or “in addition to
something”, depending on what comes after it in the sentence. Let’s have a look
at each one in turn.
除了…以外: “apart from”, “except”
This may be the most common use of 除了…以外. You use the structure described
above, and follow it with 都:
除了 [something] 以外,
[something] 都
[verb]
You can use this to express anything along the lines of “apart from A, B all…”
in English. Have a look at some example sentences:
Notice how in these sentences 除了…以外 is paired with 都. When it’s paired with
都, it means “apart from” except.
除了…以外: “in addition”
To express “in addition” or “as well as”, all you do is change the adverb that
comes after 除了…以外. This time, you use 还 or 也. Have a look at some example
sentences:
Notice how you could actually translate these sentences using “apart from” in
English. The point is that the function is different in this second set of
sentences. They’re inclusive, whereas the first set above are
exclusive.
This can be a source of confusion for people learning Chinese. Just remember
that 除了…以外 can be used to exclude things (“apart from”)
or include things (“in addition to”). It’s very versatile!
Omitting 除了 or 以外
The next thing to note about 除了…以外 is that one half of it is often left out.
So you’ll often see or hear sentences with just 除了 or just 以外, and not both.
The structure is still the same, it’s just that one part has been skipped out.
Have a look at some example sentences:
That turned a bit astronomical for some reason! And before anyone complains
about the accuracy of that last sentence: Pluto is not a planet! Anyway, just remember that either 除了 or 以外
can often be omitted from a sentence.
除了…以外 with various adverbs
We described the different functions of 除了…以外 (inclusive and exclusive)
above, and you might have noticed that the important difference is the adverb
that comes afterwards. In other words, what the sentence means centres around
that adverb!
With that in mind, let’s have a look at four different adverbs that you might
use after 除了…以外. Three of them were already covered above, but it can’t hurt
to get some more example sentences for them!
都 (dōu)
As mentioned above, using 都 after 除了…以外 makes it exclusive. 都 means “all”, so you’re saying “apart from X, Y all…”. Have a look at a couple more example sentences:
So, 都 makes a 除了…以外 sentence exclusive. It’s equivalent to “except for” or “apart from” in English.
还 (hái)
If you follow 除了…以外 with 还, it becomes inclusive. This is because 还 means “still” or “also”. You’re saying “As well as X, Y also does something.” Have a look at some more example sentences:
Hopefully you can now see how the adverb that comes after 除了…以外 determines whether it’s inclusive or exclusive.
也 (yě)
As well as 还, you can also use 也 to express inclusion*. Some examples:
You might have noticed that the first sentence could be interpreted differently if you have a devious mind. Rather than meaning “apart from students, teachers also eat here”, it could mean “as well as food, teachers also eat students here”! Don’t worry though, most people would interpret it the first way!
- For those who spotted that this is an inclusive sentence and were wondering how to say it in Chinese, you could phrase it like this:
除了“还”以外，还可以用“也”来表达包含的意思。
Chúle“hái”yǐwài, hái kěyǐ yòng“yě”lái biǎodá bāohán de yìsi.
As well as 还, you can also use 也 to express inclusion.
Don’t worry if that sentence is a bit tricky though, we just included it for those who might be curious.
又 (yòu)
Finally, you can also use 又 with 除了…以外. This literally means “again” or “then”, but is often more like “also” in these sentences. Have a look at some examples:
Like 还 and 也, 又 forms inclusive sentences with 除了…以外.
Different versions of 除了…以外
The above is more than enough to be able to understand things like “apart from”
and “in addition” in Chinese. We even included some fairly difficult sentences
for this level, just to keep you on your toes! If you’re still in the mood for
more advanced material, though, you might be interested in this different
‘versions’ of 除了…以外.
除了…之外 (chúle…zhīwài)
You can make 除了…以外 more formal by changing the 以 into 之
(zhī)
. It works exactly the same, it just sounds a
bit more formal. Have a look at some example sentences, and don’t worry if one
or two of them seem quite hard at the moment. They’ll seem easy if you keep
studying!
That last sentence really is pretty difficult at this level, but you might find
it interesting if you recognise the quote! 一无所有 is a set phrase meaning “to
have nothing at all”. It’s also the title of a famous Chinese rock song.
除此之外 (chúcǐzhīwài)
Finally, there’s a formal set phrase: 除此之外. If you didn’t know already, the
character 此 is just a formal way of saying “this”. So this set phrase simply
means “apart from this” or “in addition”. Note that you can’t split this phrase
up or insert other things into it.
除此之外 is often used in Chinese writing as a conjunction or connector. You say
one point, then add a related one using 除此之外. It can also be used in
everyday speech as a convenient way to say “besides…” Have a look at some
examples:
If you have any questions or suggestions, please share them in the
comments below! We always like to get feedback.
See also