X也好 / 也罢，Y也好 / 也罢: whether X or Y
【高132】口语格式 / fixed patterns
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
X也好，Y也好，…… sets out two cases (or more) to say that the outcome is the same either way: 买也好，租也好，总得先有个住的地方 ("buy or rent, you need somewhere to live first"). HSK 5 showed that each half takes 也好; this level adds 也罢 (yěbà), which does the same job with a shade of resignation or indifference, a little more written, a "so be it": 你也罢，我也罢，都帮不上忙. The two particles are readily mixed for variety: 成功也好，失败也罢 is a stock phrase. Each half must keep its particle (✗ 成功也好，失败).
The items can be opposite verbs (去也好，不去也好), nouns or people (民歌也好，流行歌也好; 你也罢，我也罢) or states (快乐也好，伤心也罢). The next clause gives the shared conclusion, often with 反正, 都, 总 or 也: 去也好，不去也好，反正不是什么大事.
Compare 无论……都…… (HSK 3): 无论 is firmer and more formal, and needs a question word or an alternative (无论去不去). 也好 / 也罢 lists the cases one by one in a relaxed tone. Do not confuse it with the 也好 that closes a clause (你不去也好), a "why not, just as well" already seen at HSK 5.
Examples
买也好，租也好，总得先有个住的地方。
Mǎi yě hǎo, zū yě hǎo, zǒng děi xiān yǒu ge zhù de dìfang.Buy or rent, you need a place to live first.
他同意也好，不同意也好，这件事我都会做完。
Tā tóngyì yě hǎo, bù tóngyì yě hǎo, zhè jiàn shì wǒ dōu huì zuòwán.Whether he agrees or not, I will see this through.
工资高也好，低也罢，我更看重这份工作能学到什么。
Gōngzī gāo yě hǎo, dī yě bà, wǒ gèng kànzhòng zhè fèn gōngzuò néng xuédào shénme.High pay or low, what I care about more is what I can learn from this job.
成功也好，失败也罢，这段经历都是宝贵的。
Chénggōng yě hǎo, shībài yě bà, zhè duàn jīnglì dōu shì bǎoguì de.Success or failure, this experience is valuable.
你也罢，我也罢，谁都改变不了他的想法。
Nǐ yě bà, wǒ yě bà, shéi dōu gǎibiàn bu liǎo tā de xiǎngfǎ.You or me, nobody can change his mind.
Common mistakes
✗ 成功也好，失败，都是经验。 → ✓ 成功也好，失败也罢，都是经验。 (each half keeps its particle; 也好 and 也罢 can be mixed).
✗ 去也好，不去也好，结果完全不同。 → 也好 says the outcome is the same; to contrast two outcomes, use 去的话……，不去的话……