又…又… (Both…And…) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

又…又… (yòu…yòu…) is Chinese for "both… and…" when you want to stack two qualities or abilities that hold of one and the same subject at the same time: 又便宜又好吃 "both cheap and tasty," 又会唱歌又会跳舞 "can both sing and dance." English says "both A and B" with two separate words wrapping the pair; Chinese repeats one word, 又, in front of each item. The word 又 elsewhere means "again" (他又来了 "he came again"), but in this doubled frame it has drained of that meaning and simply co-ordinates two co-present traits. Two rules make it sound native: the two items must share one subject, and with adjectives you drop 很 — it's 又高又瘦, never 又很高又很瘦.

Two co-present qualities of one subject

The prototypical 又…又 sentence balances two adjectives describing the same thing, or two abilities of the same person. The pair should be parallel in weight and, crucially, both true at once — not one after the other.

Pattern	Example	Gloss
又 + adj + 又 + adj	又便宜又好吃	both cheap and tasty
又 + adj + 又 + adj	又高又瘦	both tall and slim
又会…又会…	又会唱歌又会跳舞	can both sing and dance
又 + state + 又 + state	又累又饿	both tired and hungry

这家的包子又便宜又好吃，我经常来买。

zhè jiā de bāozi yòu piányi yòu hǎochī, wǒ jīngcháng lái mǎi

This place's buns are both cheap and tasty — I come to buy them all the time. (informal)

她又会唱歌又会跳舞，是晚会上的明星。

tā yòu huì chànggē yòu huì tiàowǔ, shì wǎnhuì shang de míngxīng

She can both sing and dance — she was the star of the party. (informal)

忙了一整天，我现在又累又饿。

máng le yì zhěng tiān, wǒ xiànzài yòu lèi yòu è

After a whole day of running around, I'm now both tired and hungry. (informal)

💡

Two rules to lock in: (1) both traits belong to one subject, and (2) with adjectives, no 很 — the 又…又 frame already carries the "and… and…" force, so 又高又瘦 is complete on its own.

No degree adverbs inside the frame

This is the rule learners break most. A plain predicate adjective normally needs a prop like 很 (他很高). But inside 又…又, the frame is the prop — adding 很 (or 非常, 特别) is ungrammatical. Strip the adverbs and let the bare adjectives stand.

那个模特又高又瘦，很上镜。

nàge mótè yòu gāo yòu shòu, hěn shàngjìng

That model is both tall and slim, very photogenic. (neutral) — bare 高/瘦, no 很 inside the 又…又.

这道菜又香又辣，特别下饭。

zhè dào cài yòu xiāng yòu là, tèbié xiàfàn

This dish is both fragrant and spicy — great with rice. (informal)

You can even chain three or more for a piled-on effect, still with no 很: 又大又红又甜的苹果 "apples that are big, red, and sweet."

市场上的草莓又大又红又甜。

shìchǎng shang de cǎoméi yòu dà yòu hóng yòu tián

The strawberries at the market are big, red, and sweet. (informal) — three stacked, none with 很.

又…又 vs 一边…一边: qualities vs actions

Here is the distinction that trips people up. 又…又 stacks qualities or states that co-exist. For two actions performed at the same moment — walking while looking at your phone — Chinese uses 一边…一边 (yìbiān…yìbiān) instead. The test: if the two items are ongoing activities you could picture someone doing simultaneously, reach for 一边…一边; if they're properties something has, reach for 又…又.

他一边走路一边看手机，差点撞到人。

tā yìbiān zǒulù yìbiān kàn shǒujī, chàdiǎn zhuàng dào rén

He was walking and looking at his phone at the same time, and nearly bumped into someone. (informal) — two simultaneous actions: 一边…一边.

听到这个消息，她又惊又喜。

tīng dào zhège xiāoxi, tā yòu jīng yòu xǐ

Hearing the news, she was both startled and delighted. (neutral) — two co-present emotional states: 又…又.

The two frames sit next to each other in the guide for a reason — see 一边…一边 (Simultaneous Actions). And don't confuse the doubled 又 here with the standalone 又 that means "again," covered under 再 vs 又.

Common Mistakes

1. Inserting 很 (or other degree adverbs) inside the frame. The 又…又 structure already supplies the linking force; 很 is redundant and wrong here.

❌ 她又很高又很瘦。

Ungrammatical — no 很 inside 又…又; the bare adjectives stand alone: 又高又瘦.

✅ 她又高又瘦。

tā yòu gāo yòu shòu

She's both tall and slim.

2. Using 又…又 for two simultaneous actions. Ongoing activities done at the same time take 一边…一边, not 又…又.

❌ 我又吃饭又看电视。

Wrong frame for concurrent actions — eating while watching TV is 一边吃饭一边看电视.

✅ 我一边吃饭一边看电视。

wǒ yìbiān chī fàn yìbiān kàn diànshì

I eat while watching TV.

3. Splitting the pair across two subjects. Both traits must belong to the same subject; you can't use 又…又 to contrast one thing with another.

❌ 哥哥又高，弟弟又矮。

Two different subjects — 又…又 needs one subject; to contrast two people use 哥哥高，弟弟矮 (…而…).

✅ 哥哥又高又壮。

gēge yòu gāo yòu zhuàng

My older brother is both tall and well-built.

4. Reading the doubled 又 as 'again.' In 又…又 the word does not mean repetition; treating it as "again" mangles the sense.

❌ 这个西瓜又甜。

Incomplete / misread — a lone 又 here sounds like 'sweet again'; the co-ordinating frame needs the second 又: 又大又甜.

✅ 这个西瓜又大又甜。

zhège xīguā yòu dà yòu tián

This watermelon is both big and sweet.

Key Takeaways

又…又… stacks two qualities, states, or abilities of one subject, both true at once: 又便宜又好吃, 又会唱歌又会跳舞.
No 很 (or 非常/特别) inside the frame — the bare adjectives stand: 又高又瘦, never 又很高又很瘦.
Both traits share one subject; it can't contrast two different subjects.
For two simultaneous actions, switch to 一边…一边; the doubled 又 here is not the "again" 又.
You can pile on three or more (又大又红又甜) for extra vividness.

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