Expressing "both A and B" with "you"

Revision as of 10:00, 14 July 2015 by Luojie (talk | contribs)

In English, we often use descriptive words, and more than not, use multiple at a time. The character 又 (yòu) can be used to give two qualities or features to something. Using 又 (yòu) and the structure is like saying that something is "both ... and ... " in English.

Structure

The structure in Chinese is:

Subject + 又 + Adjective 1 + 又 + Adjective 2

Unlike in English, the two words can't contrast in feeling. It is important to note they must both be bad or both be good.

Examples

  • 帅。yòu gāo yòu shuài.He is both tall and handsome.
  • 聪明 漂亮。yòu cōngmíng yòu piàoliang.She is both smart and beautiful。
  • 这 个 啤酒 好喝 便宜。Zhè gè píjiǔ yòu hǎo hē yòu piányí.This beer is both good-tasting and cheap.
  • 笨。yòu chǒu yòu bèn.He is both ugly and stupid.
  • 这 房间 亮。Zhè fángjiān yòuyòu liàng.This apartment is both big and bright.
  • 你们 老板 年轻 有钱。Nǐmen lǎobǎn yòu niánqīng yòu yǒu qián.Your boss is both young and rich.
  • 这 个 苹果 甜。Zhè gè píngguǒ yòu hóng yòu tián.This apple is both red and sweet.
  • 这 个 孩子 小。Zhè gè háizi yòu shòu yòu xiǎo.This child is both thin and small.
  • 小狗 可爱 听话。Xiǎo gǒu yòu kě'ài yòu tīnghuà.The puppy is both cute and obedient.
  • 这 种 东西 真 是 难吃。Zhè zhǒng dōngxī zhēn shì yòu guì yòu nán chī.This thing really is both expensive and bad-tasting.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books