Learn Hardcore Chinese: yìfāngmiàn tā xiǎng chūguó liúxué, yìfāngmiàn yòu dānxīn xuéfèi tài guì. - On the one hand he wants to study abroad; on the other hand he worries that the tuition is too expensive.

一方面…，一方面又…
- More colloquial.
- The 又 adds a feeling of “at the same time / but also”, and often highlights a bit of inner conflict.
一方面…，另一方面…
- A bit more formal or written.
- Feels more symmetric and “balanced”, like a textbook contrast.

All of these are acceptable:

一方面他想出国留学，一方面又担心学费太贵。
一方面他想出国留学，另一方面又担心学费太贵。
一方面他想出国留学，另一方面担心学费太贵。

What does 方面 literally mean in 一方面? Is it like “side” or “aspect”?

Yes.

方 = side, direction
面 = face, side, surface

So 方面 literally means “side / aspect”.

Then 一方面 is literally “one aspect / one side”, which naturally extends to the idiomatic meaning “on the one hand”.

What exactly does 又 mean here? I thought 又 meant “again”.

又 (yòu) has several common uses:

“again” (for past repetition)
- 他又迟到了。= He was late again.
“both A and B / also / and at the same time”
Often in structures showing a second, usually contrasting, point:
- 他聪明，又努力。= He’s smart and also hardworking.
- 一方面他想出国留学，一方面又担心学费太贵。
  = On one hand he wants to study abroad, but on the other hand he also worries the tuition is too expensive.

In this sentence, 又 does not mean “again”.
It’s functioning more like “also / and at the same time (with a slight contrast)”.

You can drop it:

一方面他想出国留学，一方面担心学费太贵。

That’s still correct; you just lose a bit of that “also/but still” flavor.

Why is 他 only in the first half of the sentence? Shouldn’t it be repeated in the second half?

Chinese is a pro‑drop language: once the subject is clear, it can often be omitted.

The full version would be:

一方面他想出国留学，一方面他又担心学费太贵。

This is grammatical, just a bit heavier.
Normally, once you say 他 in the first clause, the listener knows both clauses are about him, so the second 他 is dropped:

一方面他想出国留学，一方面又担心学费太贵。

Both versions are correct; omitting the second 他 is more natural in everyday speech.

How does 出国留学 work grammatically? Is it two verbs in a row?

Yes, it’s a serial-verb phrase, a common structure in Chinese.

出国 = go abroad / leave the country
- 出 = to exit
- 国 = country
留学 = study abroad
- 留 = to stay
- 学 = study

Combined, 出国留学 literally is “go abroad, (in order to) study”, and is best translated as “to go abroad to study / to study abroad”.

This is normal in Chinese: several verbs can appear in sequence to describe a chain of actions or purpose:

出国留学 = go abroad (to) study
去北京工作 = go to Beijing (to) work
回家吃饭 = go home (to) eat

You could also say:

去国外留学 (go to a foreign country to study)
到国外去留学

But 出国留学 is very common and natural.

Could I switch the order and say 留学出国?

Normally, no. 留学出国 is not idiomatic.

Reason: 出国 expresses the movement, and 留学 expresses the purpose. In Chinese, the more natural order is often:

movement / background action + main purpose

So:

出国留学 = go abroad (in order to) study

If you say 留学出国, it sounds like “study-abroad go-abroad” and doesn’t fit the usual logic or patterns. Native speakers wouldn’t say it.

In 担心学费太贵, what is the grammar? Is 学费太贵 a clause? Why no 是?

Structure:

担心 = to worry (about / that…)
学费太贵 = “the tuition is too expensive”

Here 学费太贵 is a clause functioning as the object of 担心.
So the pattern is:

担心 + [clause]
worry that [clause]

担心学费太贵 = worry that the tuition is too expensive

Why no 是?

In Chinese, when you use an adjective as a predicate, you often don’t need 是:

学费太贵。= The tuition is too expensive.
这个太贵。= This is too expensive.
天气很好。= The weather is very good.

So 学费太贵 works fine on its own as “the tuition is too expensive”.

I learned the pattern 太…了. Why is there no 了 after 太贵?

Two common uses of 太:

太 + adj + 了
Often = “so / extremely …” (not always literally “too much”):
- 太好了！= So great!
- 天气太冷了。= The weather is so cold.
太 + adj (without 了)
More literal “too / overly …”, often negative:
- 这个太贵。= This is too expensive.
- 速度太快，我看不清。= The speed is too fast; I can’t see clearly.

In 担心学费太贵, 太贵 is more like “too expensive” in a negative or problematic sense, so 了 is not necessary.

You could say 学费太贵了, but that sounds more like an exclamation or a strong reaction (“The tuition is SO expensive!”). Here, we simply need the content of the worry, so 太贵 is enough.

What is the difference between 担心 and 害怕 / 怕 here?

担心 = to worry, to be concerned that something bad might happen
- Emphasizes mental anxiety/concern about a possible or future situation.
害怕 / 怕 = to be afraid, to fear
- Emphasizes fear, can be emotional or physical.

In this sentence:

他担心学费太贵。= He is worried that the tuition is too expensive.
(Thinking about cost, consequences, affordability.)

If you said:

他怕学费太贵。

It’s not wrong; it means roughly the same, but 怕 can feel a bit more emotional / instinctive, while 担心 is the default, neutral verb for “to worry about” expenses, exams, results, etc.

So 担心学费太贵 sounds very natural and typical.

How is 一方面 pronounced? Why is it yìfāngmiàn and not yīfāngmiàn?

Tone sandhi (tone change) rule for 一:

When 一 is followed by a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd tone, it’s usually pronounced yì (4th tone).
When it’s followed by a 4th tone, it’s usually yí (2nd tone).
When said alone or emphatically counted, it’s yī (1st tone).

In 一方面:

方 (fāng) is 1st tone,
so 一 changes from yī → yì.

Hence 一方面 is pronounced yì fāng miàn.

What is the difference between 一方面…一方面… and 一边…一边…?

They are quite different:

一方面 …，一方面 …
- Means “on the one hand …, on the other hand …”.
- Used to show two aspects, attitudes, or sides of a situation, often contrasting.
- Example:
  一方面他想出国留学，一方面又担心学费太贵。
  = On one hand he wants to study abroad, on the other hand he worries about the cost.
一边 …，一边 …
- Means “do A while doing B” (two actions at the same time).
- Used for simultaneous actions.
- Example:
  他一边听音乐，一边做作业。
  = He does homework while listening to music.

You cannot replace 一方面 with 一边 in this sentence, because it’s about contrasting thoughts, not two actions happening at the same time.

Could this sentence be split into two separate sentences with 但是 / 可是 / 不过 instead of 一方面?

Yes, you can express the same idea with a contrastive conjunction:

他想出国留学，但是又担心学费太贵。
他想出国留学，可是又担心学费太贵。
他想出国留学，不过又担心学费太贵。

All of these are natural and common.

Difference in feel:

一方面…一方面…:
- Explicitly marks “two sides” of the same person’s attitude; a bit more balanced, structured.
但是 / 可是 / 不过:
- A more general “but / however” contrast; slightly simpler structure.

Both ways are good; the original just emphasizes the two-sidedness of his feelings.