HSK 3 grammar · pattern
X是X
X是X，就是/不过… — X is X, but … (concession)
Pattern
+ + +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
Repeating a word around 是 (好是好) concedes that a point is true, then 就是 or 不过 adds a drawback — "it's good all right, it's just that …". It admits something before raising a "but".
Examples
这件衣服好看是好看，就是太贵了。
Zhè jiàn yīfu hǎokàn shì hǎokàn, jiùshì tài guì le.
This shirt is nice-looking all right, it's just too expensive.
这个办法行是行，不过太麻烦。
Zhège bànfǎ xíng shì xíng, búguò tài máfan.
This method works, sure, but it's too much trouble.
我去是去，不过要晚一点儿。
Wǒ qù shì qù, búguò yào wǎn yìdiǎnr.
I'll go all right, just a little late.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, X是X is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.