In 2006 C hina introduced its new C om pany Law . O n the 1st o f June o f this year，the revised P R C P artnership La w took effect. In the N ethe rlan ds，the process o f reform ing the law on private lim ited com panies and the law on partne rships has not yet been com pleted. T w o B ils are pend ing in P arliam ent：T he B ill on Pa rtnerships since 20 0 2，and the P rivate C om pany B ill since M ay 200 7. A part from the fact that the laws on business form s o f b oth countries have rece ntly been m ade subject to reform s，there is ano ther parallel. In both countries the question is debated w hether hybrid legal form s，such as the L L P and L L C ，should be introduced. T he attraction o f these hybrids is that they com bine the flexible internal structure o f a partnership w ith lim ite d lia b ility and passthrough taxation. T he cen tral question w h ich this paper aims to answ er is w hether there is a need fo r hybrid legal form s. A lthough this question is discussed against the background o f D u tch la w — the law the author is mo st fam iliar w ith— it is the author’s belief that m any elem ents o f the discussion featuring in this paper are also releva nt fo r the C hinese legislature.