HSK 5 grammar · pattern
X也不是，Y也不是
X也不是，Y也不是 — damned either way
Pattern
+ +
X and Y are opposite choices
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
X也不是，Y也不是 pairs two opposite options and rejects both, describing an awkward dilemma with no good move: "damned if you do, damned if you don't." X and Y are usually contrasting actions like 去/不去, 说/不说.
Examples
这话我说也不是，不说也不是，真让人为难。
Zhè huà wǒ shuō yě bú shì, bù shuō yě bú shì, zhēn ràng rén wéinán.
Saying it isn't right and not saying it isn't right either — it really puts me in a bind.
他坐也不是，站也不是，紧张极了。
Tā zuò yě bú shì, zhàn yě bú shì, jǐnzhāng jíle.
He didn't know whether to sit or stand — he was extremely nervous.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, X也不是，Y也不是 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.