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Lesson

Neither...Nor (不…也不…)

1. Explain it simply

Use the pattern 不 A 也不 B to mean 'neither A nor B'.

Repeat 不 in front of each word, and put 也 right before the second 不.

A and B are usually the same type — two adjectives or two verbs.

2. Show examples

天气不冷也不热。

Tiānqì bù lěng yě bù rè.

Sandhi:Tiānqì bù lěng yě bú rè.

The weather is neither cold nor hot.

two adjectives

我不吃也不喝。

Wǒ bù chī yě bù hē.

I neither eat nor drink.

two verbs

这本书不新也不旧。

Zhè běn shū bù xīn yě bù jiù.

Sandhi:Zhè běn shū bù xīn yě bú jiù.

This book is neither new nor old.

也 sits before the second 不

3. Share a tip

Keep 也 directly before the second 不. Don't move it to the front or the end of the sentence.