The word 除了 (chúle) looks like it should only ever mean "except." But it has a second job that surprises English speakers: paired with 还 (hái) or 也 (yě), it means the opposite — "besides X, also…," where X is kept and more is piled on top. Where the 除了…都 frame subtracts an item, 除了…还 adds one. The same opening clause, two mirror-image meanings, and the giveaway is always the little word in the second clause: 还/也 adds, 都 excludes. This page is the addition face.
The frame: 除了 X (以外)，… 还/也 …
The shape mirrors the exclusion frame exactly, only the anchor changes:
除了 + [an included item] + （以外），… + 还 (or 也) + more.
Here the item after 除了 is not carved out — it is the first thing on the list, and 还/也 tacks on whatever comes next. Think of it as English "in addition to X, also Y."
除了中文，我还会说一点日语。
chúle Zhōngwén, wǒ hái huì shuō yìdiǎn Rìyǔ
Besides Chinese, I also speak a little Japanese. (neutral) — Chinese is kept; Japanese is added.
周末除了睡觉，我还喜欢爬山。
zhōumò chúle shuìjiào, wǒ hái xǐhuan páshān
On weekends, besides sleeping, I also like hiking. (informal)
还 versus 也 in this frame
Both anchor the addition, with a slight difference in flavor. 还 leans toward "and additionally / on top of that" — it is the default for stacking more items, and it comfortably introduces a whole new predicate. 也 is closer to "too," echoing that the subject does the second thing as well. In many sentences they are interchangeable; when in doubt, 还 is the safer everyday choice. For the fuller range of 还 see 还 'still / also', and for 也 see 也 'also'.
你除了会说，也得会写才行。
nǐ chúle huì shuō, yě děi huì xiě cái xíng
Besides being able to speak, you also have to be able to write. (neutral) — 也 'as well'.
除了工资，公司每年还发奖金。
chúle gōngzī, gōngsī měinián hái fā jiǎngjīn
Besides salary, the company also gives a bonus every year. (neutral) — 还 stacks on a new item.
除了…还有… for "there's also / there are also"
A very common everyday variant uses 还有 (hái yǒu) "there's also" to introduce further members of a group — extra people, extra items, extra reasons.
除了他，还有很多人报名了。
chúle tā, hái yǒu hěn duō rén bàomíng le
Besides him, lots of other people signed up too. (informal)
这家店除了咖啡，还卖甜点和三明治。
zhè jiā diàn chúle kāfēi, hái mài tiándiǎn hé sānmíngzhì
Besides coffee, this shop also sells desserts and sandwiches. (neutral)
我除了想去日本，还想去韩国和泰国。
wǒ chúle xiǎng qù Rìběn, hái xiǎng qù Hánguó hé Tàiguó
Besides Japan, I also want to go to Korea and Thailand. (informal)
The decision: pick the second word to set the meaning
This is the whole game. Keep 除了 fixed and let the main-clause word decide whether you are adding or excluding:
| Sentence | Second-clause word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 除了中文，我还会日语。 | 还 (add) | Besides Chinese, I also know Japanese — I know at least two. |
| 除了中文，我都不会。 | 都 (exclude) | Except Chinese, I know none — Chinese is all I know. |
Close cousins: 除了 and 不但…而且
The 除了…还 idea — "not only this, but also that" — overlaps with the 不但…而且 (not only… but also) frame and the wider family of additional connectors. The difference is angle: 除了…还 starts from one named item and adds to it, while 不但…而且 escalates across two clauses. Both land at "there's more than just the first thing."
他除了教书，业余还写小说。
tā chúle jiāoshū, yèyú hái xiě xiǎoshuō
Besides teaching, he also writes novels in his spare time. (neutral)
Common Mistakes
1. Using 都 when you mean "in addition." 都 flips the sentence into exclusion — the deadliest 除了 mistake, because the meaning inverts.
❌ 除了中文，我都会说日语。
Wrong meaning — 都 says 'except Chinese I speak Japanese', i.e. NOT Chinese. To add, use 还: 除了中文，我还会说日语.
✅ 除了中文，我还会说日语。
chúle Zhōngwén, wǒ hái huì shuō Rìyǔ
Besides Chinese, I also speak Japanese. — 还 keeps Chinese in and adds Japanese.
2. Dropping the 还/也. Without the anchor, the addition reading has nothing to hang on and the sentence sounds unfinished.
❌ 除了咖啡，这家店卖甜点。
Bare — the addition frame needs 还/也: 除了咖啡，这家店还卖甜点.
✅ 除了咖啡，这家店还卖甜点。
chúle kāfēi, zhè jiā diàn hái mài tiándiǎn
Besides coffee, this shop also sells desserts. — 还 anchors the addition.
3. Putting 还/也 before the subject. Like all adverbs, 还 and 也 sit after the subject and before the verb, not out at the front.
❌ 除了他，还我也去。
Misplaced — the adverb follows the subject: 除了他，我也去.
✅ 除了他，我也去。
chúle tā, wǒ yě qù
Besides him, I'm going too. — 也 after the subject 我.
4. Using 除了 with no second clause at all. 除了…还/也 is a paired frame; a lone 除了 phrase with nothing added leaves the thought hanging.
❌ 除了工资很高。
Unfinished — 除了 sets up 'besides…', so something must follow: 除了工资高，福利也很好.
✅ 除了工资高，福利也很好。
chúle gōngzī gāo, fúlì yě hěn hǎo
Besides the high salary, the benefits are good too. — the second clause completes the 除了…也 frame.
Key Takeaways
- 除了 X（以外），… 还/也 … = "besides X, also …" — the item is kept and more is added.
- It is the mirror image of 除了…都: same opening, opposite job.
- 还 stacks on "and additionally" (often a new predicate); 也 says "too" — largely interchangeable, 还 the safe default.
- 除了…还有… is the everyday way to add more members: "besides X, there's also Y and Z."
- The single decisive choice is the second-clause word: 还/也 adds, 都 excludes — get it wrong and you say the opposite.
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- 除了…以外，都… (Except For)HSK 3 — 除了…以外，都… (chúle…yǐwài, dōu) means 'except for X, everyone/everything else …': 除了他以外，我们都去 'except for him, we're all going'; 除了周日，每天都上班 'except Sunday, I work every day'. The 都 is the tell: it signals EXCLUSION — everything but the named item. 除了 has a second, opposite life with 还/也, covered on its own page.
- 不但/不仅…而且/还… (Not Only…But Also…)HSK 3 — 不但/不仅…而且/还… (búdàn/bùjǐn…érqiě/hái) is the escalation frame: like 虽然…但是, BOTH halves appear, and the second clause goes further — 不但便宜，而且好吃 'not only cheap, but tasty too'.
- 而且 / 并且 / 再说 / 另外 (Moreover)HSK 4 — The additive connectors pile on an extra point or reason: 而且 (moreover), 并且 (and also, formal), 再说 (besides — spoken), 另外 (in addition), and 何况 (let alone) — each opening a clause, never joining bare nouns.