除了... (以外),... 还...
Reach for this when you want to add to a list — 'besides X, also Y.' This is the long-form inclusion pattern with the optional 以外 tacked on for slightly more formal feel; 之外 works too and they're interchangeable. The 除了 clause names what's already known; 还 introduces the addition. The subject can sit between the two clauses, which is a small but real difference from the bare 除了……还…… version.
Structure
除了 [ITEM A] (以外), [SUBJECT] 还 [ITEM B / VERB PHRASE]
chúle... (yǐwài), ... hái...
How to Think About It
Same 除了 inclusion switch as the shorter form, but the optional 以外 lets the structure feel more balanced and gives the subject a comfortable home between the two clauses. Without 以外 you get punchy speech; with it you get the rhythm of writing. The 还 still does the heavy lifting — it's what tells the listener you're adding, not excluding.
Examples
除了下雨以外,我们还遇到了大风。
Chúle xià yǔ yǐwài, wǒmen hái yùdào le dà fēng.
Besides the rain, we also ran into strong wind.
除了写作业以外,他还要练琴。
Chúle xiě zuòyè yǐwài, tā hái yào liàn qín.
Besides doing homework, he also has to practice piano.
除了北京以外,他还想去西安和成都。
Chúle Běijīng yǐwài, tā hái xiǎng qù Xī'ān hé Chéngdū.
Besides Beijing, he also wants to visit Xi'an and Chengdu.
Common Mistake
Learners use 以外 + 都 thinking it means inclusion, but 以外……都…… flips to exclusion ('except for X, all the others…'). 以外 alone doesn't decide the meaning — the trailing 还/也/都 does.
除了我以外,他们都来。
除了我以外,他们还都来。
Don't Confuse With
除了……都……
Exclusion meaning ('except for X, all the rest'). Same 除了, but the final 都 flips the structure to 'minus' instead of 'plus.'
除了……还……
Bare conversational version. Drop 以外 in casual speech; keep it for slightly more formal register.
除了……之外,还……
之外 and 以外 are virtually identical here — 之外 sounds a touch more written. Either works.
Practice
Fill in the blank: ____ 学校以外,他还在公司打工。
Show answer
除了
Fill in the blank: 除了她以外,我们 ____ 邀请了她的朋友。
Show answer
还
Arrange into a sentence: 除了 / 以外 / 还 / 苹果 / 我 / 买了 / 葡萄
Show answer
除了苹果以外,我还买了葡萄。
Translate to Chinese: Besides Chinese class, she also takes a math class.
Show answer
除了中文课以外,她还上数学课。
Use 除了……以外,……还…… to add a second activity or quality to a known one.
Show answer
除了工作以外,我周末还学吉他。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 除了... (以外),... 还... in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start, no card.