HSK 2 grammar · pattern
动词重叠
动词重叠 — verb reduplication (do a bit / have a go)
Pattern
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the same verb twice
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( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
Repeating a verb makes the action short, light, or casual — "give it a try", "do a little". One-syllable verbs may add 一 (看一看) or, for the past, 了 (看了看); two-syllable verbs repeat as ABAB.
Examples
你看看这个。
Nǐ kànkan zhège.
Take a look at this.
我们休息休息吧。
Wǒmen xiūxi xiūxi ba.
Let's rest a little.
他想了想。
Tā xiǎng le xiǎng.
He thought for a moment.
让我试一试。
Ràng wǒ shì yi shì.
Let me have a try.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 动词重叠 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.