How to use 又……又
又⋯⋯ 又⋯⋯
又 repeated before two descriptive phrases presents both qualities as applying to the same subject. It gives the listener a combined impression rather than a contrast between separate people or things. Both adjective phrases belong within one predicate, and an additional 很 is usually unnecessary for the basic paired construction.
Many beginner examples pair two favorable qualities or two unfavorable ones. That is a common teaching pattern, but the grammar is not an absolute prohibition on mixed evaluations. What matters is that the qualities can be presented together coherently in context. The construction is different from 又 describing the repetition of an action; its paired arrangement signals the “both…and” relationship here.
Examples with pinyin and English
她男朋友又高又帅。
Her boyfriend is both tall and handsome.
这个房子又大又亮。
This house is both big and bright.
妈妈的头发又黑又亮。
Mom's hair is both black and shiny.
我姐姐又聪明又漂亮。
My older sister is both smart and beautiful.
What to remember
- Put 又 before each descriptive phrase.
- Describe the same subject on both sides.
- Matching evaluations are common, not mandatory.
Practise the pattern
Use one example as a model. Change the people, objects or situation, keeping the grammar pattern in the same order. Read the explanation again to check how your sentence uses the construction.
Look up the grammar words
Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.