Emphasizing negation with "you"

One of the many versatile uses of 又 (yòu) 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 + Predicate

Examples

  • 这些 菜 坏 ,为什么 要 扔 ?Zhèxiē cài yòu méi huài, wèishénme yào rēng?These food aren't bad. Why would you throw them away?
  • 问 我 干吗 ?我 知道 。Wèn wǒ gànmá? Wǒ yòu zhīdào. Why ask me? I definitely don't know.
  • 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.
  • 今天 热 ,开 空调 干吗 ?Jīntiān yòu rè, kāi kōngtiáo gànmá?It's not hot today. Why turn on the air conditioner?
  • 明天 上班 ,那么 早 起床 干吗 ?Míngtiān yòu shàngbān, nàme zǎo qǐchuáng gànmá?You don't go to work tomorrow. Why get up so early?
  • 你 现在 忙 ,来 帮 我 一下 。Nǐ xiànzài yòu máng, lái bāng wǒ yīxià.You're not busy now. Come and help me.
  • 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 做错 ,打 他 干吗 ?Háizi yòu méi zuò 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 raining. 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?

See also

Sources and further reading

HSK4