又...又...

Both...and...

Level 2Sounds Like jau6 . . . jau6 . . .

Use 又 (jau6) before two or more descriptions or actions to mean 'both... and...'. For example, 啲衫又平又靚 (di1 saam1 jau6 peng4 jau6 leng3) means 'The clothes are both cheap and nice.'

How It Works

Understanding 又...又... (jau6... jau6...)

The structure 又...又... is a foundational Cantonese coordinate pattern used to connect parallel attributes, actions, or duties that apply simultaneously to one subject.

1. Structure with Adjectives
• Pattern: 又 + Adj1 + 又 + Adj2
• Example: 佢又高又瘦 (keoi5 jau6 gou1 jau6 sau3) — 'He is both tall and thin.'
• Monosyllabic Preference: Cantonese heavily favors single-syllable adjectives (like 高, 瘦, 平, 靚, 正) in this pattern for a punchy, rhythmic flow.
• Adding Emphasis: Unlike Mandarin, colloquial Cantonese frequently allows degree adverbs like 好 (hou2, 'very') inside this structure for emphasis (e.g., 又好平又好靚).
• Both adjectives generally share the same pragmatic tone (both positive or both negative).

2. Structure with Actions or Obligations
• Pattern: 又 + VP1 + 又 + VP2
• Used to express balancing dual roles, duties, or overlapping habits.
• Example: 佢又要教書，又要做行政 (keoi5 jau6 jiu3 gaau3 syu1, jau6 jiu3 zou6 hang4 zing3) — 'He has to teach and also do admin work.'
• With habits: 佢又食煙又飲酒 (keoi5 jau6 sik6 jin1 jau6 jam2 zau2) — 'He both smokes and drinks.'

3. Truncated Nouns / Burdens
• Colloquially, noun pairs representing heavy burdens or expenses follow 又 directly: 又車又樓 (jau6 ce1 jau6 lau4) — '[paying for] both a car and a flat'.

4. Stacking Three Attributes
• While usually paired in twos, three elements can be stacked colloquially for emphasis, like the popular Cantonese phrase: 又平又靚又正 (jau6 peng4 jau6 leng3 jau6 zeng3) — 'cheap, attractive, and great quality'.

Contrast with Other Patterns:
• Use 一路...一路... for simultaneous physical actions (e.g., eating while watching TV).
• Use 同埋 to join nouns, not adjectives.
• Use 又唔...又唔... for 'neither... nor...' with states or actions.
• Use 又冇...又冇... (jau6 mou5... jau6 mou5...) for 'neither has... nor has...' (e.g., 又冇錢又冇時間 - 'neither money nor time').

Examples (4)

  1. 啲衫又平又靚。

    The clothes are both cheap and nice-looking.

    Word by Word: these clothing both cheap both pretty

    Combines two positive single-character adjectives: 平 (peng4, cheap) and 靚 (leng3, pretty).

  2. 佢又要教書，又要做行政。

    He has to teach and also do admin work.

    Word by Word: he both need teach book, both need do admin

    Uses 又 before verb phrases containing 要 (jiu3, need to) to emphasize balancing dual responsibilities.

  3. 呢間餐廳啲嘢食又平又靚又正。

    The food at this restaurant is cheap, good-looking, and high quality.

    Word by Word: this CL restaurant possessive food both cheap both pretty both great

    Demonstrates stacking three 又 (jau6) attributes together in a common colloquial emphasis phrase.

  4. 佢又食煙又飲酒，身體自然差啦。

    He both smokes and drinks, so naturally his health is poor.

    Word by Word: he both eat smoke both drink alcohol, body naturally poor SFP

    Links two negative habits (食煙 and 飲酒) that coexist in a person's lifestyle.

Common Mistakes

  • Thinking 又…又… cannot join a good and a bad trait.

    Different Meaning呢間餐廳又平又難食。
    呢間餐廳雖然平，但係好難食。

    呢間餐廳又平又難食 is natural Cantonese: 又…又… just stacks two facts, and here it sounds like a complaint. 雖然…但係… instead puts the two traits against each other, 'cheap, but bad to eat'.

  • Placing 又 (jau6) after the adjective or verb instead of before it.

    呢度啲嘢食平又靚又。
    呢度啲嘢食又平又靚。

    又 (jau6) must always be placed directly before each adjective or verb phrase, never after it.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

又...又...Level 2Both...and...

Learn This First

To use '又...又...', you need to understand how Cantonese handles adjectives and basic sentence structure. This pattern allows you to combine two descriptions or actions that apply to the same subject simultaneously.

Learn Next

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Words in This Pattern