〜つ〜つ

…ing and …ing (back and forth, alternately); now … now …

〜つ〜つ joins two verbs to show actions that keep alternating: going and coming back, floating and sinking, overtaking and being overtaken. つ is a classical particle, so the pattern survives only in a handful of fixed pairs. The two verbs are usually opposites or an active/passive pair of the same verb.

Written and literary Japanese, sports commentary (抜きつ抜かれつ), and a few idioms used in speech (持ちつ持たれつ). You cannot freely create new pairs; learn the fixed ones. Often followed by する / の + N / だ.

• Vます-stem + つ + Vます-stem + つ
• Opposite pairs: 行きつ戻りつ (back and forth)・浮きつ沈みつ (rising and sinking)・矯めつ眇めつ (looking closely from every angle)
• Active + passive of one verb: 抜きつ抜かれつ (overtaking each other)・持ちつ持たれつ (mutual support)・押しつ押されつ (jostling)
• Used as adverb (〜つ〜つする / 〜つ〜つしながら) or with の + N (抜きつ抜かれつの接戦)

1. 01

   彼は店の前を行きつ戻りつしていた。

   かれはみせのまえをいきつもどりつしていた。

   He was pacing back and forth in front of the shop.

   行きつ戻りつ + する: the person pacing is unable to decide.

2. 02

   両チームは抜きつ抜かれつの接戦を繰り広げた。

   りょうチームはぬきつぬかれつのせっせんをくりひろげた。

   The two teams fought a close race, overtaking each other in turn.

   抜きつ抜かれつ + の + N: describes a race where the lead keeps changing.

3. 03

   世の中は持ちつ持たれつだ。

   よのなかはもちつもたれつだ。

   The world runs on give and take.

   持ちつ持たれつ is a proverb-like idiom: society runs on mutual help.

4. 04

   小舟は波に浮きつ沈みつしながら、ゆっくりと岸に近づいた。

   こぶねはなみにうきつしずみつしながら、ゆっくりときしにちかづいた。

   Bobbing up and down on the waves, the little boat slowly approached the shore.

   〜つ〜つ + しながら describes the manner of movement.

5. 05

   彼は品物を矯めつ眇めつ眺めてから、ようやく買うことに決めた。

   かれはしなものをためつすがめつながめてから、ようやくかうことにきめた。

   After examining the item closely from every angle, he finally decided to buy it.

   矯めつ眇めつ is a fixed idiom for scrutinizing something.

• 〜やら〜やら

  Lists mixed examples ("things like X and Y"). つ〜つ describes two alternating movements, not a list. Compare side by side

• 〜たり〜たり

  Modern, freely combinable "doing things like X and Y". つ〜つ is limited to fixed pairs and stresses alternation. Compare side by side

• 〜なり〜なり

  Offers alternatives to choose from ("either X or Y"). つ〜つ is about actions that actually alternate. Compare side by side

• ✗

  彼は食べつ飲みつしていた。

  ✓

  彼は食べたり飲んだりしていた。

  Why

  つ〜つ is not productive. 食べる and 飲む are not a fixed pair; use たり〜たり for ordinary lists of actions.

• ✗

  抜いつ抜かれつの接戦

  ✓

  抜きつ抜かれつの接戦

  Why

  つ attaches to the ます-stem (抜き), not to the て-form stem.

• ✗

  持ちつ持たれつなので、私が全部払います。

  ✓

  持ちつ持たれつなので、今日は私が払います。

  Why

  持ちつ持たれつ means mutual give and take. Paying everything, always, contradicts the idea of mutuality.

Learn the pairs as vocabulary: 行きつ戻りつ・浮きつ沈みつ・抜きつ抜かれつ・持ちつ持たれつ・押しつ押されつ・矯めつ眇めつ. As a modifier it takes の: 抜きつ抜かれつのレース. As an adverb it takes する or しながら. 持ちつ持たれつ is the one pair you will hear in ordinary conversation, often as 持ちつ持たれつの関係.