既...也/又...
Use 既……也…… (or 既……又……) to attach two qualities, actions, or facts to the same subject at the same time — 'both X and Y'. It's tidier than just stacking 也 twice, because 既 sets the listener up to expect a paired second half. Common in writing and a bit literary in speech, but fully natural. 既……又…… is slightly more colloquial.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 既 [QUALITY/ACTION 1] 也/又 [QUALITY/ACTION 2]
jì... yě/yòu...
How to Think About It
既 is a flag that says 'a partner is coming' — it makes the sentence feel incomplete until the 也/又 half lands. The two halves must describe the same subject and be on the same grammatical footing: both adjectives, or both verbs, or both negated. Mixing types ('既快又一个学生') reads as broken to a native ear.
Examples
我们既不是完全自私的，也不是完全无私的。
Wǒmen jì bú shì wánquán zìsī de, yě bú shì wánquán wúsī de.
We're neither completely selfish nor completely selfless.
真相是，人既会合作，也会竞争。
Zhēnxiàng shì, rén jì huì hézuò, yě huì jìngzhēng.
The truth is, humans both cooperate and compete.
这家餐厅既便宜又好吃。
Zhè jiā cāntīng jì piányi yòu hǎochī.
This restaurant is both cheap and tasty.
Common Mistake
Learners often forget that 既 demands grammatical parallelism. They put an adjective on one side and a noun phrase on the other, which makes the sentence feel lopsided. Both halves should be the same kind of predicate.
他既聪明也一个好人。
他既聪明又善良。
Don't Confuse With
又……又……
Very similar meaning, even more colloquial and rhythmic. 又……又…… is what you'd say casually; 既……也…… feels slightly more written or considered.
不但……而且……
不但……而且…… emphasizes adding a second, often more impressive point ('not only X, but also Y'). 既……也…… just states two coexisting traits without ranking them.
既然……就……
Looks similar but is a totally different beast — 既然 means 'since/given that' and introduces a reason. Don't confuse 既 (jì, paired with 也/又) with 既然 (jìrán, paired with 就).
Practice
Fill in the blank: 他___聪明又努力。
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既
Fill in the blank: 这个工作既辛苦，___很有意义。
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也
Arrange: 又 / 既 / 漂亮 / 这件衣服 / 舒服 (This clothing is both pretty and comfortable.)
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这件衣服既漂亮又舒服。
Translate to Chinese: She can both speak Chinese and write Chinese characters.
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她既会说中文，也会写汉字。
Use 既……也/又…… to describe yourself or a friend with two traits.
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我的好朋友既爱安静地看书，又喜欢周末跟大家一起出去玩。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: