〜なら〜で／〜ば〜で

Meaning

Means "once a certain state comes about, that very fact then creates a separate problem or trouble." It expresses resignation or grumbling that even if the desired situation is realized, in the end it is still unsatisfying, and that things are troublesome whichever way they turn out. The same word is repeated before and after. The meaning is almost the same as 「〜たら〜たで」, with only the conditional form changed to 「なら」「ば」.

Examples

暇なら暇で、何をすればいいか分からなくなる。 When you're free, being free brings its own problem—you don't know what to do.
金がないと困るが、あればあったで気が大きくなって使ってしまう。 Having no money is a problem, but when you have it, you get carried away and spend it.
雨が降れば降ったで中止、降らなければ降らないで暑くて大変だ。 If it rains, it's called off; if it doesn't, it's unbearably hot—either way is trouble.