Difference between revisions of "Reduplication of adjectives"
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<div class="liju"> | <div class="liju"> | ||
| − | * 妈妈的手 <em>暖暖的</em>。 | + | * 妈妈的手 <em>暖暖的</em>。<span class="trans">Mother's hands are very warm.</span> |
| − | * 你的 脸 <em>红红的</em>。 | + | * 你的 脸 <em>红红的</em>。<span class="trans">Your face is very red.</span> |
| − | * 果汁 <em>甜甜的</em>。 | + | * 果汁 <em>甜甜的</em>。<span class="trans">The fruit juice is very sweet.</span> |
</div> | </div> | ||
| Line 27: | Line 27: | ||
<div class="liju"> | <div class="liju"> | ||
| − | * 高高兴兴 | + | * 高高兴兴<span class="trans">very happu</span> |
| − | * 舒舒服服 | + | * 舒舒服服<span class="trans">very comfortable</span> |
| − | * 糊糊涂涂 | + | * 糊糊涂涂<span class="trans">very confused</span> |
</div> | </div> | ||
Revision as of 03:10, 6 June 2013
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One of the charming features of Chinese is reduplication of certain words and characters, including adjectives!
Basic patterns
One way to intensify adjectives is to reduplicate them. This creates a sense of "really" or "very", and makes the descriptive power of the adjective stronger.
Adj + Adj + 的
In most Chinese textbooks and grammar books, this is known as the "AA" pattern. For example:
- 妈妈的手 暖暖的。Mother's hands are very warm.
- 你的 脸 红红的。Your face is very red.
- 果汁 甜甜的。The fruit juice is very sweet.
If the adjective has more than one character, then you should repeat each character individually. This is known as the "AABB" pattern. Examples:
- 高高兴兴very happu
- 舒舒服服very comfortable
- 糊糊涂涂very confused
Note: The "AABB" pattern for reduplication of two-syllable adjectives contrasts with the "ABAB" pattern for reduplication of two-syllable verbs.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 32-6) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 50) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 103-4) →buy
