Difference between revisions of "Expressing "both A and B" with "you""

m (Text replacement - "Zhè ge" to "Zhège")
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*她 男朋友 <em>又</em> 高 <em>又</em> 帅。<span class="pinyin">Tā nánpéngyou <em>yòu</em> gāo <em>yòu</em> shuài.</span><span class="trans">Her boyfriend is both tall and handsome.</span>
 
*她 男朋友 <em>又</em> 高 <em>又</em> 帅。<span class="pinyin">Tā nánpéngyou <em>yòu</em> gāo <em>yòu</em> shuài.</span><span class="trans">Her boyfriend is both tall and handsome.</span>
*这 个 房子 <em>又</em> 大 <em>又</em> 亮。<span class="pinyin">Zhè ge fángzi <em>yòu</em> dà <em>yòu</em> liàng.</span><span class="trans">This house is both big and bright.</span>
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*这 个 房子 <em>又</em> 大 <em>又</em> 亮。<span class="pinyin">Zhège fángzi <em>yòu</em> dà <em>yòu</em> liàng.</span><span class="trans">This house is both big and bright.</span>
 
*妈妈 的 头发 <em>又</em>  黑 <em>又</em> 亮。<span class="pinyin">Māma de tóufa <em>yòu</em> hēi <em>yòu</em> liàng. </span><span class="trans">Mom's hair is both black and shiny. </span>
 
*妈妈 的 头发 <em>又</em>  黑 <em>又</em> 亮。<span class="pinyin">Māma de tóufa <em>yòu</em> hēi <em>yòu</em> liàng. </span><span class="trans">Mom's hair is both black and shiny. </span>
 
*我 姐姐 <em>又</em> 聪明 <em>又</em> 漂亮。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ jiějie <em>yòu</em> cōngming <em>yòu</em> piàoliang.</span><span class="trans">My older sister is both smart and beautiful.</span>
 
*我 姐姐 <em>又</em> 聪明 <em>又</em> 漂亮。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ jiějie <em>yòu</em> cōngming <em>yòu</em> piàoliang.</span><span class="trans">My older sister is both smart and beautiful.</span>

Revision as of 01:42, 17 January 2017

When you're getting descriptive, you may find yourself wanting to use multiple adjectives at a time. The character 又 (yòu) can be used to give two qualities to something. Using the double 又 (yòu) structure is like saying that something is "both… and… " in English.

Structure

The structure in Chinese is:

Subj. + 又 + Adj. 1 + 又 + Adj. 2

The two words shouldn't contrast in feeling. It is important to note they must both be bad or both be good.

Examples

  • 她 男朋友 帅。Tā nánpéngyou yòu gāo yòu shuài.Her boyfriend is both tall and handsome.
  • 这 个 房子 亮。Zhège fángzi yòuyòu liàng.This house is both big and bright.
  • 妈妈 的 头发 亮。Māma de tóufa yòu hēi yòu liàng. Mom's hair is both black and shiny.
  • 我 姐姐 聪明 漂亮。Wǒ jiějie yòu cōngming yòu piàoliang.My older sister is both smart and beautiful.
  • 中国 菜 便宜 好吃。Zhōngguó cài yòu piányi yòu hǎochī.Chinese food is both cheap and good-tasting.
  • 你们 老板 年轻 有钱。Nǐmen lǎobǎn yòu niánqīng yòu yǒuqián. Your boss is both young and rich.
  • 这里 的 咖啡 难喝。Zhèlǐ de kāfēi yòu guì yòu nánhē. The coffee here is both expensive and bad-tasting.
  • 我 家 小狗 可爱 听话。Wǒ jiā xiǎogǒu yòu kě'ài yòu tīnghuà.My family's dog is both cute and obedient.
  • 上海 的 冬天 湿。Shànghǎi de dōngtiān yòu lěng yòu shī.Winter here in Shanghai is both cold and humid.
  • 她 小时候 瘦。Tā xiǎoshíhou yòu ǎi yòu shòu. She was both short and thin when she was young.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books