Abstract: The "you X mei X" construction is a typical circum-construction in modern Chinese. Through form and semantic analysis, this paper intends to distinguish the common and uncommon usage of this construction and finds out that the major distinction is whether this construction is used for objective description or for subjective judgement. And by analyzing the different syntactic functions,the author also explores the common feature and differences of all types of "you x mei x" construction in modern Chinese:"you NP mei NP", "you VP mei VP", "you yi Q mei yi Q", and "you de mei de". At the same time, the interpretation of the difference between the metaphorical and descriptive semantic features is the key to the distinction between regular and unconventional usage of "you X mei X".

Key words: modern Chinese, “you X mei X”, circum-construction, syntactic function, semantic function