# yue ...yue...



## canadiansrock

*I* know this construction = more _________ more ___________

*B*ut could someone just demonstrate how it would be used other than yue lai yue?

*I'*m still confused when to use it.
*T*hanks =)


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## Mugi

For starters, try these three examples

我越学习越发现自己的无知 / 我越學習越發現自己的無知 Wo3 yue4 xue2xi2 yue4 fa1xian4 zi4ji3 de wu2zhi1 - The more I study the more I become aware of my own ignorance.

他越想越害怕 Ta1 yue4 xiang3 yue4 hai4pa4 - The more he thinks (about it) the more afraid he becomes / The more he thought (about it) the more afraid he became.

她越说我越烦 / 她越說我越煩 Ta1 yue4 shuo1, wo3 yue4 fan2 - The more she speaks, the more irritated I become / The more she spoke, the more irritated I became.


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## canadiansrock

*O*ooh, thanks!

*S*o its  yue + verb + yue + verb?

*I*s it always followed by a verb then?


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## unanimism

canadiansrock said:


> oooh, thanks!
> 
> so its yue + verb + yue + verb?
> 
> is it always followed by a verb then?


 
No! Any terms can be used if the meaning makes sense. In my opinion, *C*hinses sentences tend to pile up words one by one, while *E*nglish has constant grammar structure. We don't learn grammar in *C*hinese.


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## canadiansrock

*S*o would
wo you yue dongxi yue gaoxing
work?


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## kyrin

*W*ell actually we too have grammars in mandarin *C*hinese. *T*his phrase "yue... yue..." is used to connect two predications (or "谓语" in *S*implied *C*hinese characters) so as to express a sort of conditional tone. *T*he predications can be a phrase led by a verb or simply an adjective. *E*xamples are as following, 

- 越得不到，越想得到(phonetic spelling as "yue4 de2bu4dao4, yue4 xiang3de2dao4") *T*he harder it is to get something the more you desire for it. 
*I*n this case both predications are phrases led by verb. 

- 越穷，越无助(phonetic spelling as "yue4qiong2, yue4wu2zhu4) *T*he poorer the more helpless. 
*I*n this case both predications are adjectives. 

*A*lso you can see variants like "yu...yu..." (愈...愈... ). *T*hey are functionally the same as "yue... yue..."

*H*ope this somewhat lengthy explanation would help clarify your confusions. plse*Please* feel free to let me know if you should have a further question.


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## canadiansrock

I see, thanks! 
So never a noun then?


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## kyrin

canadiansrock said:


> I see, thanks!
> So never a noun then?


*Y*es as a matter of fact the word "yue(越)" here is an adverb by nature and, as you know, adverbs normally would not modify a noun.


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## kareno999

Mugi said:


> For starters, try these three examples
> 
> 我越学习越发现自己的无知 / 我越學習越發現自己的無知 Wo3 yue4 xue2xi2 yue4 fa1xian4 zi4ji3 de wu2zhi1 - The more I study the more I become aware of my own ignorance.
> 
> 他越想越害怕 Ta1 yue4 xiang3 yue4 hai4pa4 - The more he thinks (about it) the more afraid he becomes / The more he thought (about it) the more afraid he became.
> 
> 她越说我越烦 / 她越說我越煩 Ta1 yue4 shuo1, wo3 yue4 fan2 - The more she speaks, the more irritated I become / The more she spoke, the more irritated I became.


Sometimes you need to add "就" in the second clause
我越学习就越发现自己的无知 
她越说我就越烦
This 就 expresses explicitly that the second action is directly caused by the previous one.


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## Mugi

kareno999 said:


> Sometimes you need to add "就" in the second clause
> 我越学习就越发现自己的无知
> 她越说我就越烦
> This 就 expresses explicitly that the second action is directly caused by the previous one.


I'm not sure that you _need_ to add "就" ... Could you please explain the difference in Google hits?
越学习越发现自己的无知 = 4520(簡) + 54(繁)
越学习就越发现自己的无知 = 5(簡) + 2(繁)

越说我越烦 = 4(簡) + 212(繁)
越说我就越烦 = 2(簡) + 2(繁)

As to canadiansrock's question, 越 will always be followed by a verb or an adjective, never a noun (although some adjectives may appear to be nouns sometimes: e.g. 牛)


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## xiaolijie

Mugi said:


> I'm not sure that you _need_ to add "就" ... Could you please explain the difference in Google hits?
> 越学习越发现自己的无知 = 4520(簡) + 54(繁)
> 越学习就越发现自己的无知 = 5(簡) + 2(繁)
> 
> 越说我越烦 = 4(簡) + 212(繁)
> 越说我就越烦 = 2(簡) + 2(繁)
> 
> As to canadiansrock's question, 越 will always be followed by a verb or an adjective, never a noun (although some adjectives may appear to be nouns sometimes: e.g. 牛)


 

1. The difference is in style: the version with 就 is more colloquial whereas the one without 就 tends to be written/ formal.

2. 牛 strickly speaking doesn't just appear to be a noun. It _is_ a noun but can be used as an adjective in some usage.


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## unanimism

supply, 越~越~ needs not the same term after 越. eg. Money 越花越多 1st one is verb, 2nd is adverb or adjective. I have never heard improving maderin chinese by grammar, but English grammar makes you speak more educated. Chinese grammar is not original. It imatates from English.


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## kyrin

xiaolijie said:


> 1. The difference is in style: the version with 就 is more colloquial whereas the one without 就 tends to be written/ formal.
> 
> 2. 牛 strickly speaking doesn't just appear to be a noun. It _is_ a noun but can be used as an adjective in some usage.


 
Yes, "牛" as an adjective, is actually a clean variant of a vulgar word which means awesome.


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## canadiansrock

thank you!
could you please give the pinyin for your characters, i cant read characters =(


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## kyrin

canadiansrock said:


> thank you!
> could you please give the pinyin for your characters, i cant read characters =(


 
Pinyin for "牛" is niu2, which literally means bull by origin.


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## Mugi

xiaolijie said:


> 1. The difference is in style: the version with 就 is more colloquial whereas the one without 就 tends to be written/ formal.
> 
> 2. 牛 strickly speaking doesn't just appear to be a noun. It _is_ a noun but can be used as an adjective in some usage.


 
1. No, it isn't a difference in style - it's a difference in emphasis. (My question above was rhetorical - haven't figured out what emoticon to use to best express that)

2. In "哇, 他真牛" (Wa, ta1 zhen1 niu2)  牛 is 100% adjective. However, this part of speech is probably only recognized in the very latest dictionaries, if at all. So to a learner, 牛 may appear to be a noun (as one learns it initially), but grammatically here it doesn't make sense, hence the possibility of confusion.


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