ChinesePath又 (yòu): "Again" for Things That Already Happened — and 又…又…
又 yòu is the other half of Chinese "again": it marks repetition that has already happened — usually with a hint of feeling about it, from mild surprise to open exasperation. 他又来了 Tā yòu lái le is "he came again", eyebrow included. Its forward-looking twin is 再 (repetition still to come). Beyond "again", 又 pairs qualities (又香又辣 — fragrant and spicy), stacks new problems onto old ones, holds two conflicting feelings together, and fuels one of the great colloquial retorts, 又不是.
Use 1: it happened again
- 他昨天来过，今天又来了。Tā zuótiān lái guo, jīntiān yòu lái le. (He came yesterday, and today he came again.)
- 你怎么又迟到了？Nǐ zěnme yòu chídào le? (Late again?) — the reproach lives in the 又
- 她哭了又哭。Tā kū le yòu kū. (She cried and cried.)
Rule of thumb: if the repeat is already on the record, use 又; if it is still ahead, use 再. 我又来了 (here I am again) vs 我明天再来 (I'll come again tomorrow).
Use 2: 又…又… — both at once
The frame 又 A 又 B attributes two qualities or actions simultaneously:
- 这道菜又香又辣。Zhè dào cài yòu xiāng yòu là. (This dish is fragrant and spicy.)
- 他又聪明又勤奋。Tā yòu cōngming yòu qínfèn. (He's smart and hardworking.)
This is the default way to praise (or complain about) two things at once — smoother than stringing adjectives with 和, which Chinese avoids for qualities.
Use 3: one more thing on the pile
又 adds a new development on top of an existing situation, typically an unwelcome one:
- 这件事本来就麻烦，又出了新问题。Zhè jiàn shì běnlái jiù máfan, yòu chū le xīn wèntí. (The thing was already a mess — and now a new problem has popped up.)
- 他本来不想出门，结果又下雨了。Tā běnlái bù xiǎng chūmén, jiéguǒ yòu xià yǔ le. (He didn't feel like going out to begin with — and then it started raining on top of it.)
Use 4: two feelings pulling against each other
又 can hold contradictory states in one breath:
- 想去，又不敢去。Xiǎng qù, yòu bù gǎn qù. (Wants to go — and doesn't dare.)
- 他知道错了，又不想道歉。Tā zhīdào cuò le, yòu bù xiǎng dàoqiàn. (He knows he's wrong, yet won't apologize.)
Use 5: 又不是 — "it's not as if"
A fixed colloquial pattern where 又 sharpens a denial into a retort:
- 又不是我的错。Yòu bù shì wǒ de cuò. (It's not like it's my fault!)
- 他又不是不知道。Tā yòu bù shì bù zhīdào. (It's not as if he doesn't know.) — double negative: he knows perfectly well
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 又 and 再?
又 marks repetition that already happened (他又来了 — he came again); 再 marks repetition still in the future (请再说一遍 — say it again). English "again" covers both; Chinese forces the choice.
What does 又…又… mean?
"Both A and B (at once)": 又香又辣 (fragrant and spicy), 又聪明又勤奋 (smart and diligent). It links two coexisting qualities or actions of the same subject — the idiomatic alternative to joining adjectives with 和.
What does 又不是 mean?
"It's not as if… / it's not like…" — a defensive retort: 又不是我的错 (like it's my fault!). With a second negative it asserts the positive: 他又不是不知道 — he certainly knows.
Why does 你怎么又迟到了 sound annoyed?
又 on a repeated offense signals "this has happened before and here it is once more" — the annoyance is baked into the word choice, before any tone of voice is added.
Can 又 refer to the future at all?
In fixed schedules where the repetition is treated as certain, colloquial Chinese allows it (明天又是星期一 — tomorrow it's Monday again), but the productive rule stands: future repetition takes 再, realized repetition takes 又.
Try the first unit free