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。Tā jì shì wǒ māmā, yě shì wǒ péngyou.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 。Yāoqiú shì nǐ jì yào huì shuō liúlì de Zhōngwén, yě yào huì shuō liúlì de Yīngwén.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 。Bàba hěn shēng wǒ de qì, bùguò tā jì méi dǎ wǒ, yě méi mà wǒ.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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