Level 4 · Upper Intermediate
Both … and: 既…又…
Subj. + 既 + A + 又 + B
既…又… stacks two qualities of the SAME thing: 这个菜既好吃又便宜 "this dish is both tasty and cheap". The casual twin is 又…又… — 这个房间又大又漂亮 "this room is big and pretty".
The two halves must be parallel: adjective with adjective, verb phrase with verb phrase, and both bare — no 很 sneaking in. 既好吃又很便宜 breaks the balance.
Examples
这个菜既好吃又便宜。
這個菜既好吃又便宜。
zhè ge cài jì hǎo chī yòu pián yi
This dish is both tasty and cheap.
她既会说中文，又会说英文。
她既會說中文，又會說英文。
tā jì huì shuō zhōng wén yòu huì shuō Yīng wén
She can speak both Chinese and English.
这个房间又大又漂亮。
這個房間又大又漂亮。
zhè ge fáng jiān yòu dà yòu piào liang
This room is big and pretty.
他既是我的老师，又是我的朋友。
他既是我的老師，又是我的朋友。
tā jì shì wǒ de lǎo shī yòu shì wǒ de péng you
He is both my teacher and my friend.
Common mistakes
✗ 这个菜既好吃又很便宜。
✓ 这个菜既好吃又便宜。
The two sides stay parallel and bare — no 很 on either half.
Related grammar points
See it in a story
Read this pattern in context: Cao Cao and the Plum Trees — free graded stories with tap-to-reveal pinyin and translations.
