要 X 有 X,要 Y 有 Y
has every X and Y one could ask for; (with 没) has none of them
Structure
(地方/人) 要 X 有 X , 要 Y 有 Y
What it means
Lists, in twos or threes, everything a place or person has to offer; with 没 in place of 有 it lists what is missing, usually as a complaint.
How it is built
要 + X + 有 + the same X, then again with Y: 要吃有吃,要逛有逛 (all the food and browsing you want). X can be a noun (钱, 人, 个子) or a verb (吃, 玩, 逛).
When to use it
Spoken and a little emphatic: praising what a place offers or a person's assets (要个子有个子,要学历有学历), or complaining about what is lacking (要钱没钱,要人没人).
Watch out
Repeat the same word in both slots: ✗要吃有喝 ✓要吃有吃. Don't confuse it with 要多…有多… (lesson 3-9), which takes an adjective.
Examples
回坊里要吃有吃,要逛有逛,一待就是一下午。
The Muslim Quarter has all the food and all the browsing you could want; you can easily spend a whole afternoon there.
这个小伙子要个子有个子,要学历有学历,怎么还没找到女朋友?
The young man has the height and the degree; how come he still has no girlfriend?
刚创业的时候,我们要钱没钱,要人没人,什么都得自己干。
When we started the business we had no money and no staff, and had to do everything ourselves.
Learn this in Lesson 246 · HSK 9+: 西安的清真大寺 (The Great Mosque of Xi’an)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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