一个 ... 又一个 ...
Reach for this when you want to capture a repeating, additive rhythm — 'one after another.' 一个 ... 又一个 ... describes a sequence that keeps building: one bead, then another bead; one customer, then another customer; one problem, then another problem. The repetition itself does work — it makes the action feel ongoing, even meditative. Common in narrative writing about routines, accumulation, or anything quietly relentless.
Structure
一个 [NOUN] 又一个 [NOUN] / 一个 一个 (reduplicated for rhythm)
yí gè ... yòu yí gè ...
How to Think About It
又 means 'again / on top of that.' The structure stacks instances of the same noun, signaling that the count keeps climbing. The trick: it doesn't just say 'many' — it says 'they came one at a time and they kept coming.' Compare with 很多 (a lot, static quantity) or 一个一个 (one by one, focused on the manner). 一个...又一个... emphasizes the unfolding of a sequence over time.
Examples
她一个又一个地放珠子。
Tā yí gè yòu yí gè de fàng zhūzi.
She placed bead after bead.
一个问题, 又一个问题, 老板很累。
Yí gè wèntí, yòu yí gè wèntí, lǎobǎn hěn lèi.
One problem, then another problem — the boss is exhausted.
客人一个又一个地走进店里。
Kèrén yí gè yòu yí gè de zǒu jìn diàn lǐ.
Customers walked into the shop one after another.
Common Mistake
Learners drop 又 and write '一个 ... 一个 ...' which becomes 一个一个 — 'one by one,' a manner adverb, not a sequence. Both are useful, but they mean different things. Forgetting 又 collapses the time dimension.
她一个一个又放珠子。
她一个又一个地放珠子。
Don't Confuse With
一个一个
'One by one' — describes the manner of an action ('放一个一个'). Use 一个一个 for HOW; use 一个 ... 又一个 ... for the sense of ongoing accumulation.
一 + Measure + 接 + 一 + Measure
'One after another' with explicit connection (一个接一个). Slightly more formal and emphasizes back-to-back continuity. 一个 ... 又一个 ... feels more rhythmic and emotional.
越来越多
'More and more.' Describes increasing quantity in the abstract. Use 越来越多 for trends; use 一个 ... 又一个 ... for visible, countable instances stacking up.
Practice
一个___一个, 她放了一晚上。
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又
一___又一个, 大家都来了。
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个
Put in order: [一个 / 她 / 看完 / 又一个 / 视频 / 地]
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她一个又一个地看完视频。
Translate to Chinese: 'One message after another came in.'
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一条又一条消息进来了。
Describe something piling up using 一个 ... 又一个 ...
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Example: 一封又一封邮件，我看不完。 (One email after another — I can't get through them all.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
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Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 一个 ... 又一个 ... in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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