Difference between revisions of "Reduplication of adjectives"

Revision as of 06:51, 12 January 2012

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.

The structure is:

Adj + Adj + 的

In most Chinese textbooks and grammar books, this is known as the "AA" pattern. Some examples:

外面 冷冷的。
你的脸 红红的。
天气 热热的。

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
舒舒服服
糊糊涂涂

Note: The "AABB" pattern for reduplication of two-syllable adjectives contrasts with the "ABAB" pattern for reduplication of two-syllable verbs.

Sources and further reading

Books

Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 32 - 36) →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 - 104) →buy

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 * [[Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar]] (pp. 32 - 36) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0520066103?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0520066103 →buy]
 * [[New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3)]] (pp. 50) [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]
+* [[New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4)]] (pp. 103 - 104) [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]
 [[Category:B1 grammar points]]
 [[Category:Adjectives]]