HSK 7–9 grammar · pattern
自A自B
自A自B — doing it to and by oneself
Pattern
+ + +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
自A自B says the subject both performs and receives the action, with no one else involved: 自言自语 "talking to oneself", 自给自足 "self-sufficient". The repeated 自 is the whole construction.
Examples
他一个人自言自语。
Tā yí ge rén zìyán-zìyǔ.
He was muttering to himself.
这个村子基本自给自足。
Zhège cūnzi jīběn zìjǐ-zìzú.
This village is largely self-sufficient.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 自A自B is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.