既……又／也……
both A and B
Structure
既 A ， 又／也 B
What it means
“Both A and B”: one person or thing has two qualities or abilities at once.
How it is built
Subject + 既 + A + 又／也 + B: 这种水果既好吃又便宜 (This fruit is both tasty and cheap). With longer verb phrases 也 is common: 她既会唱歌，也会跳舞.
When to use it
A little more formal than 又……又……. With two short adjectives use 又: 既软又甜 (soft and sweet).
Watch out
既 goes after the subject, straight before the first adjective or verb: ✗ 既这个菜好吃又便宜 ✓ 这个菜既好吃又便宜.
Examples
这种水果既好吃又便宜。
This fruit is both tasty and cheap.
她既会唱歌，也会跳舞。
She can both sing and dance.
西红柿既可以做菜，也可以当水果吃。
Tomatoes can be cooked, and they can also be eaten as fruit.
Learn this in HSK 4 · Lesson 3: 酸甜苦辣 (Flavours)
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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