Emphasizing negation with "you"

You already know that 不 (bù) and 没 (méi) can be used for negation. But you can also use the word 又 (yòu) to emphasize negation, giving your negative sentence a little kick!

Structure

In this structure, 又 is used to emphasize that something "didn't happen," "is not" the case, or "will not happen." It's most often used with 不 and 没. This grammar structure is often used in an accusatory context, and when used with other expressions like 干吗 (gànmá) can show annoyance.

又 + 不 / 没 + Predicate

Examples

• 问 我 干吗 ？我 又 不 知道 。Wèn wǒ gànmá? Wǒ yòu bù zhīdào. Why ask me? I definitely don't know.
• 这些 菜 又 没 坏 ，为什么 要 扔 ？Zhèxiē cài yòu méi huài, wèishénme yào rēng?These dishes haven't gone bad. Why would you throw them away?
• 不要 生气 ，我 又 不 是 故意 的 。Bùyào shēngqì, wǒ yòu bù shì gùyì de. Don't be mad.It really wasn't on purpose.
• 今天 又 不 热 ，开 空调 干吗 ？Jīntiān yòu bù rè, kāi kōngtiáo gànmá?It's not hot today. Why turn on the air conditioner?
• 明天 又 不 上班 ，那么 早 起床 干吗 ？Míngtiān yòu bù shàngbān, nàme zǎo qǐchuáng gànmá?You don't work tomorrow. Why get up so early?
• 你 现在 又 不 忙 ，来 帮 我 一下 。Nǐ xiànzài yòu bù máng, lái bāng wǒ yīxià.You're not busy now. Come and help me.
• 我 又 没 吃 过 ，怎么 知道 好 不 好吃 ？Wǒ yòu méi chī guo, zěnme zhīdào hǎo bu hǎochī?I haven't eaten it. How would I know if it is tasty or not?
• 孩子 又 没 做错 ，打 他 干吗 ？Háizi yòu méi zuò cuò, dǎ tā gànmá?The child didn't do anything wrong. Why are you spanking him?
• 又 没 下 雨 ，带 伞 干吗 ？Yòu méi xiàyǔ, dài sǎn gànmá? It's not raining. Why are you bringing the umbrella?
• 又 不 关 你 的 事 ，问 那么 多 干 吗？Yòu bù guān nǐ de shì, wèn nàme duō gànmá?It's none of your business. Why all the questions?

See also

• Emphasis with "jiu"
• Emphasizing a negation with "bing"

Sources and further reading

Websites

HSK4