The short version: Repeating a verb makes the action short, casual or tentative. 你看看 nǐ kànkan = have a look; 我试试 = let me give it a try; 你尝尝 = have a taste. One-syllable verbs double as AA or A一A, two-syllable verbs as ABAB (休息休息), and verb-object words as AAB (散散步). 一下 does a similar job: 等一下. Verbs that are not actions, such as 是 and 喜欢, never double.
Spend an afternoon with Chinese speakers and you will hear doubled verbs constantly: 看看, 试试, 等等, 想想. They are not baby talk and they do not mean “look twice”. Doubling takes the weight off an action, and that small change is the difference between sounding relaxed and sounding like you are giving orders.
What doubling does
A plain verb states the action. A doubled verb presents it as quick, light or experimental: just for a moment, just to see. In requests and suggestions, that lightness reads as politeness.
Plain verb
你看！nǐ kàn!Look!
A command or an exclamation.
Doubled
你看看。nǐ kànkan.Have a look.
An invitation, easy to say yes to.
The five patterns
✗
✗
AABB is the pattern for adjectives, which is covered at the end of this guide.
一下: the other way to soften
Adding 一下 after a verb also means “briefly, a little”. It is especially common in polite requests and introductions. Because 下 is a fourth tone, 一 is pronounced yí here.
When you cannot double a verb
Doubling only makes sense for an action you can do “a little bit of”. That rules out several kinds of verbs and sentences.
| Not allowed | Why | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| 喜欢, 是, 有, 在, 知道 are states, not actions. | 我很喜欢她。 | |
| An action in progress is not brief or tentative. | 我在看电视。 | |
| 了 cannot follow a doubled verb. | 我看了看。 | |
| A result complement already states the outcome. | 我看完了。 |
Adjectives double differently
Adjectives can also be doubled, but the effect is different. Instead of making things lighter, it makes a description vivid. Two-syllable adjectives use AABB, and they often appear before 地 or after 得.
Check yourself
Pick the natural form.
A tentative “just to see”: 试试.
Two-syllable verbs: ABAB.
Verb + object: only the verb doubles, 散散步.
For the past, A了A.
喜欢 is a state, not an action, so it cannot be doubled.
A polite request: 等一下 (yíxià).
Sound relaxed, not abrupt
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Learn Chinese with Hanzijo - FreeQuick reference
- What it does
- Makes an action brief, casual or tentative; softens requests: 看看, 试试, 尝尝.
- One syllable
- AA (看看), A一A (看一看), past A了A (看了看).
- Two syllables
- ABAB: 休息休息, 介绍介绍. Never AABB.
- Verb + object
- AAB: 散散步, 聊聊天, 帮帮忙.
- 一下
- Similar softening: 等一下, 看一下, 介绍一下 (yíxià).
- Cannot double
- 是, 有, 在, 喜欢, 知道; not with 在 (ongoing), result complements, or 了 after.
- Adjectives
- AABB = vivid description: 高高兴兴, 干干净净. 高兴高兴 = have some fun (verb use).
Frequently asked questions
What does doubling a verb do in Chinese?
It makes the action short, casual or tentative, which softens requests and suggestions. 你看 is a plain look!, while 你看看 is have a look.
What is the difference between 看看, 看一看 and 看一下?
All three mean have a look and are often interchangeable. 看一看 sounds a little more deliberate, and 看一下 (yíxià) is especially common in polite requests such as 请看一下.
How do you double a two-syllable verb?
Repeat the whole verb, ABAB: 休息休息, 介绍介绍, 商量商量. AABB (休休息息) is wrong for verbs.
How do you double 散步 or 聊天?
These are verb plus object, so only the verb doubles: 散散步, 聊聊天, 帮帮忙.
Which verbs cannot be doubled?
Verbs that are not actions: 是, 有, 在, 喜欢, 知道. Doubled verbs also cannot describe an ongoing action with 在, take a result complement, or be followed by 了; for the past, use A了A: 看了看.
- 刘月华 (Liu Yuehua) et al., 《实用现代汉语语法》 (Practical Modern Chinese Grammar): the section on verb reduplication (动词重叠) and adjective reduplication.
- 吕叔湘 (Lü Shuxiang), 《现代汉语八百词》: the introduction on reduplicated forms and the entry for 一下.
- Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), official HSK site (chinesetest.cn).