Emphasizing negation with "you"

One of the many versatile uses of 又 is to emphasize negation, giving your negative sentence a little kick!

Structure

In this structure, 又 is used to emphasize that something didn't happen or 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.

又 + 不 / 没 + Verb

又 + 不 + Adj.

Examples

  • 问 我 干吗 ?我 知道 。Gànmá wèn wǒ? Wǒ yòu zhīdào. Why ask me? I definitely don't know.
  • 忙 ,干吗 不 来 ?yòu máng, gànmá bù lái?You're not busy. Why not come?
  • 吃 过 ,我 怎么 知道 好 不 好吃 ?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 错 ,打 他 干吗 ?Háizi yòu méi cuò, dǎ tā gànmá?The child didn't do anything wrong. Why hit him?
  • 下 雨 ,带 伞 干吗 ?Yòu méi xiàyǔ, dài sǎn gànmá? It's not going to rain today. Why are you bringing the umbrella?
  • 关 你 的 事 ,问 那么 多 干 吗?Yòu guān nǐ de shì, wèn nàme duō gànmá?It's not any of your business. Why ask so much?
  • 不要 生气 ,我 是 故意 的 。Bùyào shēngqì, wǒ yòu shì gùyì de. Don't be mad.It really wasn't on purpose.

See also

Sources and further reading

HSK4