Difference between revisions of "Reduplication of adjectives"

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* 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>
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*我们 <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">Wǒmen <em>qīng qīng chǔ chǔ</em> <strong>de</strong> kàndào tā gēn yīgè pàng pàng de nánrén shàngchē le.</span><span class="trans">We clearly saw him get in the car with a fat man.</span>
* 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>
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*我 真 想 <em>舒舒服服</em> <strong>地</strong> 躺 在 沙发 上 看 电视 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zhēn xiǎng <em>shū shū fū fū</em> <strong>de</strong> tǎng zài shāfā shàng kàn diànshì.</span><span class="trans">I'd really like to comfortably lie on the couch and watch TV.</span>
* 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"><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>
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*你 妈妈 <em>辛辛苦苦</em> <strong>地</strong> 做 了 两 个 小时 的 饭,你 怎么 吃 ?<span class="expl">辛辛苦苦 is difficult to translate into English directly!</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ māma <em>xīn xīn kǔ kǔ</em> <strong>de</strong> zuò le liǎng gè xiǎoshí de fàn, nǐ zěnme bù chī?</span><span class="trans">Your mother labored over this meal for two hours, and you are going to eat it?</span>
* 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>
 
* <em>辛辛苦苦</em> <strong>地</strong> 做 了 两 个 小时 的 饭,你们 都 吃?<span class="expl">辛辛苦苦 is difficult to translate into English directly!</span><span class="pinyin"><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>
 
  
 
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Revision as of 07:50, 2 November 2017

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.

One-Syllable Adjectives (AA)

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.

Structure

Adj. + Adj. + 的 (+ Noun)

Another way of putting that (and we'll be using this form more extensively below) is:

A A + 的 (+ Noun)

Note that this pattern is also identical to single-syllable reduplication of verbs.

Examples

  • 你 的 脸 红 红 的Nǐ de liǎn hóng hóng de.Your face is red.
  • 宝宝 的 眼睛 大 大 的Bǎobao de yǎnjing dà dà de.The baby's eyes are big.
  • 今晚 的 月亮 圆 圆 的Jīnwǎn de yuèliang yuán yuán de.The moon is round tonight.
  • 她 爸爸 高 高 胖 胖 的Tā bàba gāo gāo pàng pàng de.Her father is tall and fat.
  • 我 妹妹 瘦 瘦 小 小 的Wǒ mèimei shòu shòu xiǎo xiǎo de.My little sister are thin and small.

Two-Syllable Adjectives (AABB)

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.

Structure

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."

A A B B + 的 (+ Noun)

Examples

Not all two-syllable adjectives are used in AABB form, but here are some common examples of AB adjectives represented in AABB form.

  • 高兴 → 高高兴兴 gāoxìng → gāo gāo xìng xìnghappy
  • 热闹 → 热热闹闹 rènao → rè rè nāo nāoexciting
  • 漂亮 → 漂漂亮亮 piàoliang → piào piào liāng liāngpretty
  • 舒服 → 舒舒服服 shūfu → shū shū fū fūcomfortable
  • 安静 → 安安静静 ānjìng → ān ān jìng jìngpeaceful

Not all adjectives can take AABB form. Here are some examples of common adjectives that don't work in AABB form.

  • 好吃 → 好好吃吃 hǎochī → hǎo hǎo chī chī tasty
  • 便宜 → 便便宜宜 piányi → piánpiányíyícheap
  • 麻烦 → 麻麻烦烦 máfan → má má fán fán bothersome

Using Reduplicated Adjectives as Adverbs (AABB)

When adjectives are used as adverbs to modify verbs, you can reduplicate the adjective using the AABB pattern.

Structure

A A B B + 地 + Verb

Examples

  • 我们 清清楚楚 看到 他 跟 一 个 胖 胖 的 男人 上 车 了 。Wǒmen qīng qīng chǔ chǔ de kàndào tā gēn yīgè pàng pàng de nánrén shàngchē le.We clearly saw him get in the car with a fat man.
  • 我 真 想 舒舒服服 躺 在 沙发 上 看 电视 。Wǒ zhēn xiǎng shū shū fū fū de tǎng zài shāfā shàng kàn diànshì.I'd really like to comfortably lie on the couch and watch TV.
  • 你 妈妈 辛辛苦苦 做 了 两 个 小时 的 饭,你 怎么 不 吃 ?辛辛苦苦 is difficult to translate into English directly!Nǐ māma xīn xīn kǔ kǔ de zuò le liǎng gè xiǎoshí de fàn, nǐ zěnme bù chī?Your mother labored over this meal for two hours, and you are going to eat it?

Using Reduplicated Adjectives as Predicates (ABAB)

If you use an adjective as a predicate, then you're basically using the adjective like a verb, and you reduplicate it as you would a verb, which means ABAB form. Using an adjective in this way is roughly equivalent to using 一下 after the (non-reduplicated) adjective.

Structure for ABAB

To use a reduplicated adjective as a predicate, follow this structure:

Subj. + A B A B

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.

Examples

  • 妹妹 快 过 生日 了 ,我 打算 给 她 办 一 个 生日 派对 ,热闹 热闹Mèimei kuàiguò shēngrìle, wǒ dǎsuàn gěi tā bàn yīgè shēngrì pàiduì, rènao rènao.My little sister's birthday is coming and I'm going to throw her a birthday party and have a blast.
  • 来 ,喝 点 酒 ,高兴 高兴Lái, hē diǎn jiǔ, gāoxìng gāoxìng.Come on, have a little wine and enjoy yourself.
  • 到 这里 来 凉快 凉快Dào zhèlǐ lái liángkuai liángkuai.Come over here and cool off.
  • 我 想 去 做 个 按摩 ,放松 放松Wǒ xiǎng qù zuò gè ànmó, fāngsōng fāngsōng.I'm going to go get a massage and unwind.

Structure for AB 一下

The above structure is essentially equivalent to this one:

Subj. + A B + 一下

Examples of AB 一下

  • 妹妹 快 过 生日 了 ,我 打算 给 她 办 一 个 生日 派对 ,热闹 一下Mèimei kuàiguò shēngrìle, wǒ dǎsuàn gěi tā bàn yīgè shēngrì pàiduì, rènao yīxià.My little sister's birthday is coming and I'm going to throw her a birthday party and have a blast.
  • 来,喝 点 酒, 高兴 一下Lái, hē diǎn jiǔ, gāoxìng yīxià.Come on, have a little wine and enjoy yourself.
  • 到 这里 来 凉快 一下Dào zhèlǐ lái liángkuai yīxià.Come over here and cool off.
  • 我 想 去 做 个 按摩, 轻松 一下Wǒ xiǎng qù zuò gè ànmó, qīngsōng yīxià.I'm going to go get a massage and unwind.
  • 洗 个 澡 吧, 舒服 一下Xǐ gè zǎo ba, shūfu yīxià.Take a shower and get comfortable.

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