Introduction
Say a verb twice and it gets lighter: 看 (kàn) is "look"; 看看 (kànkan) is "have a look". Doubling a Chinese verb makes the action short, casual and unthreatening — the same job 一下 (yíxià) does, and often interchangeable with it.
Overview
Structure: AA / A 一 (yi) A / A 了 (le) A / ABAB
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| AA（one syllable） | 看看 (kànkan) | have a look |
| A 一 A | 看一看 (kàn yi kàn) | have a quick look |
| A 了 A（past） | 他看了看我。(Tā kàn le kàn wǒ.) | He gave me a look. |
| ABAB（two syllables） | 休息休息 (xiūxi xiūxi) | take a little break |
| AA + 吧 | 你说说吧。(Nǐ shuōshuo ba.) | Go on, tell me. |
Two syllables double as ABAB, never AABB:
- ✓ 休息休息 (xiūxi xiūxi) — take a break ❌ 休休息息 (xiū xiū xī xī)
- AABB belongs to adjectives: 高高兴兴 (gāogāoxìngxìng) — cheerful. Verbs never take that shape.
- One-syllable verbs give AA (看看 kànkan), A 一 A (看一看 kàn yi kàn) or, in the past, A 了 A (看了看 kàn le kàn).
- The second copy is neutral tone, and so is the 一 in the middle: kànkan, kàn yi kàn.
Examples
我看看，等一下。
Wǒ kànkan, děng yíxià.
Let me have a look, hang on.
你说说你的想法。
Nǐ shuōshuo nǐ de xiǎngfǎ.
Tell us what you think.
我们休息休息吧。
Wǒmen xiūxi xiūxi ba.
Let's take a little break.
他看了看我，没说话。
Tā kàn le kàn wǒ, méi shuōhuà.
He glanced at me and said nothing.
你试一试这件衣服。
Nǐ shì yi shì zhè jiàn yīfu.
Try this on.
我想问问老师。
Wǒ xiǎng wènwen lǎoshī.
I'd like to ask the teacher about it.
Usage Notes
- Reduplication and 一下 (yíxià) do the same work, and you can swap them: 看看 (kànkan) ／ 看一下 (kàn yíxià) — have a look.
- It softens requests, which is why it is everywhere in polite speech: 你说说 (nǐ shuōshuo) is far gentler than 你说 (nǐ shuō).
- Only action verbs double. States do not: ❌ 我是是老师 (wǒ shì shì lǎoshī)，❌ 我知道知道 (wǒ zhīdào zhīdào).
- In the past the 了 (le) goes in the middle, not at the end: ✓ 看了看 (kàn le kàn) ❌ 看看了 (kànkan le).
- An object follows the whole doubled verb: 我问问老师。(Wǒ wènwen lǎoshī.)