HSK 5 grammar · pattern
X着也是X着
X着也是X着 — since you're X-ing anyway
Pattern
+ + + +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
X着也是X着 says that since a state continues either way, one might as well put the time to use: "(you're) X-ing anyway, so …." It repeats a 着-state to argue that the idle situation should be turned to advantage.
Examples
你闲着也是闲着，帮我把这些菜洗了吧。
Nǐ xiánzhe yě shì xiánzhe, bāng wǒ bǎ zhèxiē cài xǐ le ba.
You're sitting around idle anyway — help me wash these vegetables.
东西放着也是放着，不如送给需要的人。
Dōngxi fàngzhe yě shì fàngzhe, bùrú sòng gěi xūyào de rén.
The stuff is just sitting there anyway — better give it to someone who needs it.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, X着也是X着 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.