无论是...还是...
Reach for this when the choice between two options DOESN'T MATTER — both lead to the same result. 'Whether it's A or B, the outcome is the same.' Speakers use it to cover all bases: doesn't matter if you take the train or fly, you'll be there by noon. The second clause usually contains 都 ('all, in every case') to drive home that the outcome is universal. Slightly formal register, common in news, business writing, and emphatic speech.
Structure
无论是 [A] 还是 [B]，都 [RESULT]
wúlùn shì... háishì... dōu...
How to Think About It
Same words as the question pattern 是...还是..., but 无论 in front flips it from 'pick one' to 'doesn't matter which.' 都 in the result clause is structurally required — it's the 'in either case' echo that makes the universal claim land. Drop 都 and the sentence sounds like you forgot half of it. Synonyms 不管 and 不论 swap in seamlessly.
Examples
无论是大人还是小孩，都喜欢这部电影。
Wúlùn shì dàrén háishì xiǎohái, dōu xǐhuān zhè bù diànyǐng.
Whether adults or kids, everyone likes this movie.
无论是在家还是在公司，他都在工作。
Wúlùn shì zài jiā háishì zài gōngsī, tā dōu zài gōngzuò.
Whether at home or at the office, he's always working.
无论是免费用户还是付费用户，都可以使用这个功能。
Wúlùn shì miǎnfèi yònghù háishì fùfèi yònghù, dōu kěyǐ shǐyòng zhège gōngnéng.
Whether free users or paying users, everyone can use this feature.
Common Mistake
Learners drop 都 in the result clause, treating 无论是...还是... as enough on its own. Without 都, the universal coverage falls flat — natives feel something's missing.
无论是男人还是女人，喜欢这个游戏。
无论是男人还是女人，都喜欢这个游戏。
Don't Confuse With
是...还是...
Without 无论, this is a choice QUESTION ('A or B?'). Add 无论 to flip it into 'whichever, the result is the same.'
不管...都...
Almost identical in meaning, slightly more colloquial. 不管 in speech, 无论 in writing and formal speech.
或者...或者...
Lists alternatives in a statement without the 'doesn't matter' frame. 无论是...还是... explicitly says the choice is irrelevant.
Practice
Fill in: ____论是男人还是女人，都喜欢这个游戏。
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无
Fill in: 无论是今天还是明天，我____有时间。
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都
Arrange: 都 / 无论是 / 还是 / 喜欢 / 茶 / 咖啡 / 他 / ， / 喝
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无论是茶还是咖啡，他都喜欢喝。
Translate to Chinese: Whether it rains or not, we're going to the game.
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无论是下雨还是不下雨，我们都要去看比赛。
Use 无论是...还是...都... to describe a habit or situation that's true in both cases.
Show answer
无论是周末还是工作日，我都早上六点起床。
Hear It in Real Episodes
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 无论是...还是... 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.