Difference between revisions of "Reduplication of adjectives"
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| − | * 高高兴兴<span class="trans">very | + | * 高高兴兴<span class="trans">very happy</span> |
* 舒舒服服<span class="trans">very comfortable</span> | * 舒舒服服<span class="trans">very comfortable</span> | ||
* 糊糊涂涂<span class="trans">very confused</span> | * 糊糊涂涂<span class="trans">very confused</span> | ||
Revision as of 03:56, 19 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 happy
- 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
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (p. 53) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 189-90) →buy
- 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
