Deep End
← Grammar guides

Level Independent Chinese · HSK 3

又…又…, AABB Adjectives and 极了: Describing Vividly

Plain 很 + adjective gets the job done. To sound lively, Chinese doubles adjectives, stacks qualities with 又…又…, and finishes adjectives with intensifiers like 极了 (extremely).

又 A 又 B: both

又…又… lists two qualities (or actions) that point the same way: both good or both bad.

  • 这家饭馆的菜又便宜又好吃。

    Zhè jiā fànguǎn de cài yòu piányi yòu hǎochī.

    The food at this restaurant is cheap and tasty.

  • 他又累又饿。

    Tā yòu lèi yòu è.

    He's tired and hungry.

Doubled adjectives: AA and AABB

One-syllable adjectives double as AA (慢慢, 好好); two-syllable ones as AABB (高高兴兴, 干干净净). Before a verb they take 地; as a description they take 的. They're already vivid, so never add 很 or 不.

  • 你好好休息吧。

    Nǐ hǎohǎo xiūxi ba.

    Get some proper rest.

  • 孩子们高高兴兴地去上学了。

    Háizimen gāogāoxìngxìng de qù shàng xué le.

    The children went off to school happily.

  • 房间收拾得干干净净的。

    Fángjiān shōushi de gāngānjìngjìng de.

    The room has been tidied spotless.

Strong endings: 极了, 死了, 坏了, 得很

These follow the adjective. 极了 (jí le) is "extremely", 死了 (sǐ le) is casual "to death", 坏了 (huài le) "awfully" with bad feelings, 得很 is "very". 简直 (jiǎnzhí) before the predicate means "simply, practically" and goes with exaggeration.

  • 这个电影好看极了。

    Zhège diànyǐng hǎokàn jí le.

    This film is fantastic.

  • 我今天累死了。

    Wǒ jīntiān lèi sǐ le.

    I'm dead tired today.

  • 孩子们饿坏了。

    Háizimen è huài le.

    The children are starving.

  • 这简直太难了！

    Zhè jiǎnzhí tài nán le!

    This is just impossibly hard!

Common mistakes

  • ✗他很高高兴兴。

    ✓他高高兴兴的。

    Tā gāogāoxìngxìng de.

    Doubled adjectives are already intense, so they don't take 很. Add 的 instead.

  • ✗这家饭馆又便宜又不好吃。

    ✓这家饭馆虽然便宜，但是不好吃。

    Zhè jiā fànguǎn suīrán piányi, dànshì bù hǎochī.

    又…又… joins qualities that point the same way. For a good point and a bad point, use a contrast.

  • ✗很好极了。

    ✓好极了。

    Hǎo jí le.

    极了 already means "extremely"; 很 can't come before it.

Questions learners ask

Is 累死了 rude or alarming?

Not at all. It's casual exaggeration, like "I'm dead tired". Use it with friends, not in formal writing.

Why do people say hǎohāor?

In Beijing-style speech the second syllable of 好好 is often said with a first tone and 儿: hǎohāor. This course writes the dictionary tones, hǎohǎo.

Practice this in lessons

The Independent Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

Practice this in lessons →

Related grammar guides