HSK 7–9 grammar · pattern
X（也）不是，不X也不是
X也不是，不X也不是 — damned either way
Pattern
+ + +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
The same verb appears affirmed and negated, and both are declared wrong: whatever you do, it comes out badly. It describes an awkward bind the speaker is caught in, not a real choice.
Examples
这话说也不是，不说也不是。
Zhè huà shuō yě bú shì, bù shuō yě bú shì.
Saying it is wrong and not saying it is wrong too.
我走也不是，留也不是。
Wǒ zǒu yě bú shì, liú yě bú shì.
I couldn't very well leave, and I couldn't very well stay.
Related
X也X不⋯⋯，Y也Y不⋯⋯ · X也X不⋯⋯，Y也Y不⋯⋯ — can't manage either无所谓X不X · 无所谓X不X — it makes no difference whether X
See it in a story
In the app, X（也）不是，不X也不是 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.