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

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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 好。He does things both quickly and well.
  • 这 家 银行 的 服务 热情 周到。This bank's service is both enthusiastic and thorough.
  • 这个 产品 的 设计 时尚 人性化。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

  • 是 我 妈妈 , 是 我 朋友。She is both my mother and my friend.
  • 要求 是 你 要 会 说 流利 的 中文 , 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 没 打 我 , 没 骂 我 。Dad was really mad at me, but he neither hit me nor yelled at me.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books