<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta name="generator" content= "HTML Tidy for HTML5 for Linux version 5.2.0" /> <title></title> </head> <body> <p>One of the charming features of Chinese is reduplication (repeating, or doubling up) of certain words and characters, including adjectives! Reduplication makes the descriptive feeling of the adjective stronger.</p> <h2 id="one-syllable-adjectives-aa">One-Syllable Adjectives (AA)</h2> <p>If an adjective is only one syllable (one character), then reduplicating it is a no-brainer. In most Chinese textbooks and grammar books, this is known as the "AA" pattern.</p> <h3 id="structure">Structure</h3> <div class="jiegou"> <p>Adj. + Adj. + 的 (+ Noun)</p> </div> <p>Another way of putting that (and we'll be using this form more extensively below) is:</p> <div class="jiegou"> <p>A A + 的 (+ Noun)</p> </div> <p>Note that this pattern is also identical to <a href= "reduplication_of_verbs" title="wikilink">single-syllable reduplication of verbs</a>.</p> <h3 id="examples">Examples</h3> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>你 的 脸 <em>红 红 的</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ de liǎn <em>hóng hóng de</em>.</span><span class="trans">Your face is red.</span></li> <li>宝宝 的 眼睛 <em>大 大 的</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Bǎobao de yǎnjing <em>dà dà de</em>.</span><span class="trans">The baby's eyes are big.</span></li> <li>今晚 的 月亮 <em>圆 圆 的</em> 。<span class="trans">The moon is round tonight.</span></li> <li>她 爸爸 <em>高 高 胖 胖 的</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā bàba <em>gāo gāo pàng pàng de</em>.</span><span class="trans">Her father is tall and fat.</span></li> <li>我 妹妹 一直 <em>瘦 瘦 小 小 的</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ mèimei yīzhí <em>shòu shòu xiǎo xiǎo de</em>.</span><span class="trans">My little sister are thin and small all the time.</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="two-syllable-adjectives-aabb">Two-Syllable Adjectives (AABB)</h2> <p>If the adjective has more than one character, then you should repeat each character individually (rather than the whole word). This is known as the "AABB" pattern.</p> <h3 id="structure-1">Structure</h3> <p>In the structure below, the original two-character adjective (such as 高兴, 漂亮) is "AB," where the first character of the adjective is represented by "A," and the second by "B."</p> <div class="jiegou"> <p>A A B B + 的 (+ Noun)</p> </div> <h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3> <p>Not all two-syllable adjectives are used in AABB form, but here are some common examples of AB adjectives represented in AABB form.</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>高兴 → 高高兴兴 <span class="pinyin">gāoxìng ￫ gāo gāo xìng xìng</span><span class="trans">happy</span></li> <li>开心 → 开开心心 <span class="pinyin">kāixīn ￫ kāi kāi xīn xīn</span><span class="trans">happy</span></li> <li>热闹 → 热热闹闹 <span class="pinyin">rènao ￫ rè rè nāo nāo</span><span class="trans">exciting</span></li> <li>干净 → 干干净净 <span class="pinyin">gānjìng ￫ gān gān jìng jìng</span><span class="trans">clean</span></li> <li>漂亮 → 漂漂亮亮 <span class="pinyin">piàoliang ￫ piào piào liāng liāng</span><span class="trans">pretty</span></li> <li>舒服 → 舒舒服服 <span class="pinyin">shūfu ￫ shū shū fū fū</span><span class="trans">comfortable</span></li> <li>安静 → 安安静静 <span class="pinyin">ānjìng ￫ ān ān jìng jìng</span><span class="trans">peaceful</span></li> <li>健康 → 健健康康 <span class="pinyin">jiànkāng ￫ jiàn jiàn kāng kāng</span><span class="trans">healthy</span></li> <li>辛苦 → 辛辛苦苦 <span class="pinyin">xīnkǔ ￫ xīn xīn kǔ kǔ</span><span class="trans">hard</span></li> <li>清楚 → 清清楚楚 <span class="pinyin">qīngchu ￫ qīng qīng chǔ chǔ</span><span class="trans">clear</span></li> <li>大方 → 大大方方 <span class="pinyin">dàfāng ￫ dà da fāng fāng</span><span class="trans">generous</span></li> </ul> </div> <p>Not all adjectives can take AABB form. Here are some examples of common adjectives that don't work in AABB form.</p> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>便宜 → <strong>便便宜宜</strong> <span class="pinyin">piányi ￫ <strong>piánpiányíyí</strong></span><span class= "trans">cheap</span></li> <li>好吃 → <strong>好好吃吃</strong> <span class="pinyin">hǎochī ￫ <strong>hǎo hǎo chī chī</strong></span> <span class= "trans">tasty</span></li> <li>麻烦 → <strong>麻麻烦烦</strong> <span class="pinyin">máfan ￫ <strong>má má fán fán</strong></span> <span class= "trans">bothersome</span></li> <li>友好 → <strong>友友好好</strong> <span class="pinyin">yǒuhǎo ￫ <strong>yǒu yǒu hǎo hǎo</strong></span> <span class= "trans">friendly</span></li> <li>小气 → <strong>小小气气</strong><span class="pinyin">xiǎoqì ￫ <strong>xiǎo xiǎo qì qì</strong></span> <span class= "trans">stingy</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="using-reduplicated-adjectives-as-adverbs-aabb">Using Reduplicated Adjectives as Adverbs (AABB)</h2> <p>When adjectives are used as <a href="adverb" title= "wikilink">adverbs</a> to modify verbs, you can reduplicate the adjective using the AABB pattern.</p> <h3 id="structure-2">Structure</h3> <div class="jiegou"> <p>A A B B + 地 + Verb</p> </div> <h3 id="examples-2">Examples</h3> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>过年 的 时候 ，我们 全 家人 都 聚 在 一起 ，<em>热 热 闹 闹</em> <strong>地</strong> 吃 年夜饭 。<span class="pinyin">Guònián de shíhou, wǒmen quán jiārén dōu jù zài yīqǐ, <em>rè rè nāo nāo</em> <strong>de</strong> chī niányè fàn.</span><span class="trans">At Chinese New Year, our whole family gathers together and joyously shares a New Year's Eve meal.</span></li> <li>听到 这 个 消息，她 <em>高高兴兴</em> <strong>地</strong> 走 了。<span class= "pinyin">Tīngdào zhège xiāoxī, tā <em>gāo gāo xìng xìng</em> <strong>de</strong> zǒu le.</span><span class="trans">Upon hearing the news, she happily left.</span></li> <li>我 <em>清清楚楚</em> <strong>地</strong> 看到 他 跟 一 个 胖胖的 男人 上 车 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>qīng qīng chǔ chǔ</em> <strong>de</strong> kàndào tā gēn yīgè pàng pàng de nánrén shàng chēle.</span><span class="trans">I clearly saw him get in the car with a fat man.</span></li> <li>我 现在 真 想 <em>舒舒服服</em> <strong>地</strong> 躺 在 沙发 上 看 电视。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiànzài zhēn xiǎng <em>shū shū fú fú</em> <strong>de</strong> tǎng zài shāfā shàng kàn diànshì.</span><span class="trans">Right now I'd really like to comfortably lie on the couch and watch TV.</span></li> <li>我 <em>辛辛苦苦</em> <strong>地</strong> 做 了 两 个 小时 的 饭，你们 都 不 吃？<span class="expl">辛辛苦苦 is difficult to translate into English directly!</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>xīn xīn kǔ kǔ</em> <strong>de</strong> zuòle liǎng gè xiǎoshí de fàn, nǐmen dōu bù chī?</span><span class="trans">I labored over this meal for two hours, and none of you guys are going to eat it?</span></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="using-reduplicated-adjectives-as-predicates-abab">Using Reduplicated Adjectives as Predicates (ABAB)</h2> <p>If you use an <a href="adjective" class="uri" title= "wikilink">adjective</a> as a <a href="predicate" class="uri" title="wikilink">predicate</a>, then you're basically using the adjective like a verb, and you reduplicate it <a href= "reduplication_of_verbs" title="wikilink">as you would a verb</a>, which means ABAB form. Using an adjective in this way is roughly equivalent to using 一下 after the (non-reduplicated) adjective.</p> <h3 id="structure-for-abab">Structure for ABAB</h3> <p>To use a reduplicated adjective as a predicate, follow this structure:</p> <div class="jiegou"> <p>Subj. + A B A B</p> </div> <p>In the pattern above there's no verb, because when an adjective serves as the predicate, it does the job of a verb. Notice also that there's no 的 after the ABAB, because it's not acting as an adjective.</p> <h3 id="examples-3">Examples</h3> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>妹妹 快 过 生日 了 ，我 打算 给 她 办 一 个 生日 派对 ，<em>热闹 热闹</em> 。<span class= "pinyin">Mèimei kuàiguò shēngrìle, wǒ dǎsuàn gěi tā bàn yīgè shēngrì pàiduì, <em>rènao rènao</em>.</span><span class="trans">My little sister's birthday is coming and I'm going to throw her a birthday party and have a blast.</span></li> <li>来 ，喝 点 酒 ，<em>高兴 高兴</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Lái, hē diǎn jiǔ, <em>gāoxìng gāoxìng</em>.</span><span class="trans">Come on, have a little wine and enjoy yourself.</span></li> <li>到 这里 来 <em>凉快 凉快</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Dào zhèlǐ lái <em>liángkuai liángkuai</em>.</span><span class="trans">Come over here and cool off.</span></li> <li>我 想 去 做 个 按摩 ，<em>放松 放松</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng qù zuò gè ànmó, <em>fāngsōng fāngsōng</em>.</span><span class= "trans">I'm going to go get a massage and unwind.</span></li> </ul> </div> <h3 id="structure-for-ab-一下">Structure for AB 一下</h3> <p>The above structure is essentially equivalent to this one:</p> <div class="jiegou"> <p>Subj. + A B + 一下</p> </div> <h3 id="examples-of-ab-一下">Examples of AB 一下</h3> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>妹妹 快 过 生日 了 ，我 打算 给 她 办 一 个 生日 派对 ，<em>热闹 一下</em> 。<span class= "pinyin">Mèimei kuàiguò shēngrìle, wǒ dǎsuàn gěi tā bàn yīgè shēngrì pàiduì, <em>rènao yīxià</em>.</span><span class="trans">My little sister's birthday is coming and I'm going to throw her a birthday party and have a blast.</span></li> <li>来，喝 点 酒， <em>高兴 一下</em>。<span class="pinyin">Lái, hē diǎn jiǔ, <em>gāoxìng yīxià</em>.</span><span class="trans">Come on, have a little wine and enjoy yourself.</span></li> <li>到 这里 来 <em>凉快 一下</em>。<span class="pinyin">Dào zhèlǐ lái <em>liángkuai yīxià</em>.</span><span class="trans">Come over here and cool off.</span></li> <li>我 想 去 做 个 按摩， <em>轻松 一下</em>。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ xiǎng qù zuò gè ànmó, <em>qīngsōng yīxià</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm going to go get a massage and unwind.</span></li> <li>洗 个 澡 吧， <em>舒服 一下</em>。<span class="pinyin">Xǐ gè zǎo ba, <em>shūfu yīxià</em>.</span><span class="trans">Take a shower and get comfortable.</span></li> </ul> </div> <p><strong>Note:</strong> The "AABB" pattern for reduplication of two-syllable adjectives contrasts with the <a href= "reduplication_of_verbs" title="wikilink">"ABAB" pattern for reduplication of two-syllable verbs</a>.</p> <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2> <h3 id="books">Books</h3> <ul> <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed)" title= "wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)</a> (p. 53) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276709/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276709"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_2" title= "wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2</a> (pp. 189-90) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276881/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0887276881"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Mandarin_Chinese:_A_Functional_Reference_Grammar" title="wikilink">Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar</a> (pp. 32-6) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520066103?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0520066103"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_3_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC3)" title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3)</a> (pp. 50) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/756191251X/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=756191251X"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_4_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC4)" title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)</a> (pp. 103-4) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561913192/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561913192"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(%E5%9F%BA%E7%A1%80%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD40%E8%AF%BE%E4%B8%8A%E5%86%8C%EF%BC%89" title="wikilink">40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）</a> (pp. 271-2)<a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20">→buy</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="Category:B1_grammar_points" title= "wikilink">Category:B1 grammar points</a> <a href= "Category:Adjectives" class="uri" title= "wikilink">Category:Adjectives</a></p> </body> </html>