Expressing "both… and…" with "ji...you"

既 (jì) can be used in conjunction with either 又 (yòu) or 也 (yě) to express that something is "both A and B":

Used with 又

Structure

既 + A + 又 + B

A and B can be adjectives, verbs or short phrases. Most of the time A and B will take the same form i.e. if A is an adjective B will also be an adjective.

Examples

• 他 做 事情 既 快 又 好。Tā zuò shìqíng jì kuài yòu hǎo.He does things both quickly and well.
• 这 家 银行 的 服务既 热情 又周到。Zhè jiā yínháng de fúwù jì rèqíng yòu zhōudào.This bank's service is both enthusiastic and thorough.
• 这个 产品 的 设计 既 时尚 又 人性化。Zhè ge chǎnpǐn de shèjì jì shíshàng yòu rénxìng huà.This product's design is both stylish and humane.

Used with 也

Structure

The structure can also be formed with 也, but here it is used primarily for verbs or verb phrases:

既 + [Verb Phrase] ，也 + [Verb Phrase]

Examples

• 她 既 是 我 妈妈 ，也 是 我 朋友。She is both my mother and my friend.
• 要求 是 你 既 要 会 说 流利 的 中文 ，也 要 会 说 流利 的 英文 。The requirement is that you need to speak both fluent Chinese and English.
• 爸爸 很 生 我 的 气 ，不过 他 既 没 打 我 ，也 没 骂 我 。Dad was really mad at me, but he neither hit me nor yelled at me.

See also

• "Both A and B" with "you"
• Combining verbs with "bing"

Sources and further reading

Books

• HSK Standard Course 4上 (pp. 86) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 120) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

• 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 11) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy

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