Expressing "both A and B" with "you"

The character 又 (yòu) can be used to attribute two qualities to something. This is like saying that something is "both ... and ... " in English.

Structure

The structure in Chinese is:

Subject + 又 + Adjective 1 + 又 + Adjective 2

Examples

• 他 又 高 又 帅。He is both tall and handsome.
• 她 又 聪明 又 漂亮。She is both smart and beautiful。
• 这 个 啤酒 又 好喝 又 便宜。This beer is both good-tasting and cheap.
• 他 又 丑 又 笨。He is both ugly and stupid.

Notice that as in English, the two words can't contrast in feeling. They must both be bad or both be good.

See also

• Simultaneous tasks with "yibian"
• Expressing "not only… but also"
• "Both… and…" with "ji"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 122) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 87) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 66) →buy