Meaning of 或许
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- perhaps; maybe
How to use 或许
或许 sits before the verb or at the start of a sentence to soften a statement or make a guess. It sounds a little more written or polite than 也许 (yěxǔ). Example: 他或许明天会来。(Tā huòxǔ míngtiān huì lái.) He may come tomorrow.
或 (huò) means "or, possibly" and 许 (xǔ) means "to allow". Something that is "possibly allowed" to happen is something that may happen, so 或许 means perhaps.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 或许 with 或者 (huòzhě). 或者 usually means "or" between choices, as in 茶或者咖啡 (chá huòzhě kāfēi, tea or coffee), while 或许 only means "perhaps" and cannot join two options.
或许 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
或 huò · maybe · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
许 xǔ · to allow · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 或许.
| 也许 | yěxǔ | perhaps; maybe |
| 或者 | huòzhě | or; possibly; maybe; perhaps |
| 许多 | xǔduō | many; a lot of |
| 或是 | huòshì | or; either one or the other |
| 不许 | bùxǔ | not to allow; must not |
| 许可 | xǔkě | to allow; to permit |
| 允许 | yǔnxǔ | to permit; to allow |
| 准许 | zhǔnxǔ | to allow; to grant |
| 许可证 | xǔkězhèng | license; authorization |
| 容许 | róngxǔ | to permit; to allow |
| 或多或少 | huòduō-huòshǎo | more or less |
| 赞许 | zànxǔ | to praise; to laud |
Questions about 或许
What does 或许 mean?
或许 (huòxǔ) means "perhaps; maybe" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 或许?
或许 is made of 2 characters: 或 (8 strokes), 许 (6 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 或许 an HSK word?
Yes. 或许 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 或许 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 或许 is written 或許.
What is the difference between 或许 and 也许?
They mean the same thing and are usually interchangeable. 也许 is more common in everyday speech, and 或许 feels slightly more formal or literary.
Can 或许 be used alone as an answer?
Yes. If someone asks whether something will happen, you can reply 或许吧 (huòxǔ ba), meaning "maybe" or "perhaps so". Adding 吧 makes it sound natural and relaxed.