HSK 7–9 grammar · pattern
X也X不⋯⋯，Y也Y不⋯⋯
X也X不⋯⋯，Y也Y不⋯⋯ — can't manage either
Pattern
+ + + + + + + +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
Each verb is repeated around 也 and then negated with a potential complement: 走也走不动，坐也坐不下. Two attempts, both impossible — the frame paints exhaustion or a hopeless corner.
Examples
我走也走不动，坐也坐不下。
Wǒ zǒu yě zǒu bu dòng, zuò yě zuò bu xià.
I couldn't walk another step, and there was nowhere to sit.
这事说也说不清，问也问不明白。
Zhè shì shuō yě shuō bu qīng, wèn yě wèn bu míngbai.
You can't explain it clearly and you can't get a clear answer either.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, X也X不⋯⋯，Y也Y不⋯⋯ is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.