total of both sides; same result either way
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesadverb
when combining both sides; the total of two opposing amounts (e.g., savings plus extra income)
informalUsed colloquially, especially in northern Chinese dialects, to calculate the net result when one factor decreases (such as expenses) and another increases (such as income).
This month I saved fifty yuan, and my spouse sent an extra fifty yuan, so altogether I have a surplus of one hundred yuan.
You spent twenty yuan less, and I gave you an extra twenty yuan; either way, it's a forty-yuan benefit.
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Costs dropped by ten percent and selling prices rose by ten percent; all told, profits increased significantly.
adverb
no matter how you calculate it; either way; the result is the same
informalIndicates that different calculation methods or scenarios yield the identical final result.
Three people working for five days is the same as five people working for three days; either way, it's the same amount of work.
Whether you buy ten items at once for twenty percent off, or buy five items twice for twenty percent off each time, either way you spend the same amount of money.
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Going in early and leaving late versus going in late and leaving early; either way, it's still eight hours of work time.