半 A 半 B
half A, half B: partly one thing and partly its opposite
Structure
半 A 半 B
What it means
Half A, half B: either a state between two opposites (半信半疑), or doing two parallel things at once (半工半读).
How it is built
半 + A + 半 + B, usually one-syllable words: 人半睡半醒 (half asleep, half awake). Longer pairs are possible in speech: 半开玩笑半认真.
When to use it
With opposites (睡／醒, 真／假, 信／疑, 推／就) it describes an in-between state: 半真半假, 半信半疑 (lesson 8-5). With two activities it means both at once: 她大学四年一直半工半读.
Watch out
Do not confuse it with 一半…一半…, which splits a real quantity in two: 一半是男生，一半是女生. 半A半B describes a mixed state or two activities, not a count.
Examples
凌晨三四点最难熬，人半睡半醒，手却不能停。
Three or four in the morning is the hardest stretch: you are half asleep, but your hands cannot stop.
他半开玩笑半认真地说：“干完这个月，我就辞职。”
Half joking and half serious, he said: “When this month is over, I’m quitting.”
她家里条件不好，大学四年一直半工半读。
Her family was poor, so for all four years at university she worked and studied at the same time.
Learn this in Lesson 181 · HSK 7–9: 流水线上 (On the assembly line)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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