Verb Reduplication in Chinese: 看看, 看一看 and 休息休息

Verb reduplication in Chinese means saying a verb twice to make the action sound short, light or casual. For a one-syllable verb, use AA or A一A: 看看 or 看一看, "have a look." For a two-syllable verb, use ABAB: 休息休息, "take a little rest." For the past, put 了 in the middle: 看了看.

You will hear doubled verbs all day in China, in shops, offices and family kitchens, so they are worth learning early. They first appear around HSK 2 and HSK 3. This article covers the meaning, every common form, separable verbs, verbs you can't double, adjectives as a contrast, and the usual mistakes. If you need a refresher on basic word order first, read our Chinese grammar guide for beginners, or see where this fits in the HSK 2 grammar list.

What Verb Reduplication in Chinese Means

Doubling a verb doesn't make it stronger. It does the opposite. It shrinks the action and takes the pressure off. English does something similar with "have a quick look," "give it a try" or "take a little break."

Compare these two:

你看这个。
- Pinyin: Nǐ kàn zhège.
- English: Look at this.
你看看这个。
- Pinyin: Nǐ kànkan zhège.
- English: Take a look at this.

The first is direct, maybe even a bit sharp. The second sounds relaxed and friendly. That is why doubled verbs show up so often in requests and suggestions:

帮我看看这个句子对不对。
- Pinyin: Bāng wǒ kànkan zhège jùzi duì bu duì.
- English: Could you check if this sentence is right?
周末我想在家休息休息。
- Pinyin: Zhōumò wǒ xiǎng zài jiā xiūxi xiūxi.
- English: This weekend I just want to stay home and rest a bit.

So the doubled verb carries three overlapping ideas: do it briefly, give it a try, and say it gently. In most sentences all three are there at once. You can think of 看看 as very close to 看一下 (kàn yíxià), which also means "have a quick look."

看看 vs 看一看: AA and A一A for One-Syllable Verbs

Verb + Verb or Verb + 一 + Verb

With a one-syllable verb you have two choices, and they mean almost the same thing. Ask a native speaker the difference between 看看 vs 看一看 and most will shrug. If anything, 看一看 has a slightly fuller rhythm and can sound a little more careful, the way a teacher might say it to a class.

这件衣服很好看，你试一试。
- Pinyin: Zhè jiàn yīfu hěn hǎokàn, nǐ shì yi shì.
- English: This top looks really nice. Try it on.
你想一想，钥匙最后放在哪儿了？
- Pinyin: Nǐ xiǎng yi xiǎng, yàoshi zuìhòu fàng zài nǎr le?
- English: Think for a second. Where did you last put your keys?
你等等，我马上下来。
- Pinyin: Nǐ děngdeng, wǒ mǎshàng xiàlai.
- English: Hang on, I'll be right down.

How to Pronounce the Doubled Verb

The second verb is usually light, in the neutral tone: 看看 is kànkan, 想想 is xiǎngxiang. In the A一A form, the 一 is light too, so "kan yi kan" is said kàn yi kàn, with the stress on the first 看. Some textbooks mark it as kàn yí kàn. Both are fine to learn, but in natural speech you will hear a quick, soft "yi."

ABAB Chinese Verbs: 休息休息 and 讨论讨论

AB + AB

For two-syllable verbs, repeat the whole word. There is no 一 in the middle and you don't split the syllables.

房间太乱了，周末得收拾收拾。
- Pinyin: Fángjiān tài luàn le, zhōumò děi shōushi shōushi.
- English: The room is a mess. I need to tidy it up this weekend.
这个问题我们明天开会讨论讨论。
- Pinyin: Zhège wèntí wǒmen míngtiān kāihuì tǎolùn tǎolùn.
- English: Let's talk this over at tomorrow's meeting.

Other common ABAB verbs: 介绍介绍 (introduce), 准备准备 (get ready a bit), 打扫打扫 (give it a clean), 研究研究 (look into it), 放松放松 (relax a little). Be careful with the order. 休息休息 is ABAB. 休休息息 is AABB, and that pattern belongs to adjectives (more on that below).

Past Reduplication: 看了看 and 想了想

A + 了 + A or AB + 了 + AB

To describe a quick action that already happened, put 了 between the two verbs. You see this a lot in stories, often right before the next action. For more on how 了 marks completed actions, see our guide to the particle 了.

他看了看手表，说："我得走了。"
- Pinyin: Tā kàn le kàn shǒubiǎo, shuō: "Wǒ děi zǒu le."
- English: He glanced at his watch and said, "I have to go."
她想了想，还是没买。
- Pinyin: Tā xiǎng le xiǎng, háishi méi mǎi.
- English: She thought about it for a moment and didn't buy it in the end.

With two-syllable verbs the pattern is AB了AB, as in 我们研究了研究 (we looked into it a bit). It is correct, but you will meet it less often than the one-syllable version. You may also see 看了一看 in written Chinese. It means the same as 看了看.

Separable Verbs: 散散步 and 聊聊天

A + A + B

Some two-syllable verbs are really a verb plus an object. 散步 is "stroll" plus "steps." 聊天 is 聊 (chat) plus the object 天. With these, you only double the verb part, which gives you AAB.

吃完晚饭，我们去公园散散步吧。
- Pinyin: Chī wán wǎnfàn, wǒmen qù gōngyuán sàn san bù ba.
- English: After dinner, let's go for a little walk in the park.
好久没见了，找个时间聊聊天。
- Pinyin: Hǎojiǔ méi jiàn le, zhǎo ge shíjiān liáo liao tiān.
- English: It's been ages. Let's find a time to catch up.
你能帮帮忙吗？
- Pinyin: Nǐ néng bāng bang máng ma?
- English: Could you give me a hand?

Others that work this way: 跳跳舞, 游游泳, 洗洗澡, 见见面. In the past, 了 goes after the first verb: 我们散了散步 (we went for a short walk). In very casual speech you may hear people double the whole word, but AAB is the form to learn.

Verbs That Can't Be Doubled

Doubling only works for actions you can do "for a bit" on purpose. That leaves out a few groups.

State and feeling verbs. 是, 有, 在, 姓, 像, 知道, 喜欢, 爱, 怕, 觉得 and 希望 describe how things are, not something you try out. You can't "know a little bit" in the 看看 sense, so 知道知道 doesn't work.

Instant verbs. Things that happen at one moment, like 到 (arrive), 忘 (forget), 丢 (lose), 开始 (start) and 结束 (end), don't double either.

Verbs that already carry extra information. Don't double a verb that has a result complement, a duration, a number of times, 着 or 过 attached, or that follows 在 or 正在. The doubled form already says "briefly," so it clashes with anything that measures the action.

Wrong: 我看看完了。
Right: 我看完了。
- Pinyin: Wǒ kàn wán le.
- English: I've finished reading it.

If you want to say exactly how long something lasted, use a time phrase instead. Our article on duration of time in Chinese shows how.

Adjective AABB: 高高兴兴 Is Not the Same Thing

Adjectives can double too, but they follow different rules and the meaning goes the other way. Two-syllable adjectives use AABB, and doubling makes the description stronger and more vivid, not smaller. They are often followed by 地 or 的, which our guide to 的, 得 and 地 explains.

孩子们高高兴兴地去上学了。
- Pinyin: Háizimen gāogāo xìngxìng de qù shàngxué le.
- English: The kids went off to school very happily.
她把厨房打扫得干干净净。
- Pinyin: Tā bǎ chúfáng dǎsǎo de gāngān jìngjìng.
- English: She cleaned the kitchen until it was spotless.

So with AABB vs ABAB in Chinese, the quick test is this: ABAB is a verb doing something a little, AABB is an adjective turned up. A few adjectives can also act as verbs and take ABAB, like 高兴高兴 (cheer up) or 凉快凉快 (cool off):

你也出去玩玩，高兴高兴。
- Pinyin: Nǐ yě chūqu wánwan, gāoxìng gāoxìng.
- English: You should go out and have some fun too. Cheer yourself up.

Chinese Reduplication Forms: Comparison Table

Form	Used with	Example	Meaning
AA	One-syllable verbs	看看, 尝尝	have a look, have a taste
A一A	One-syllable verbs	看一看, 试一试	have a look, give it a try
ABAB	Two-syllable verbs	休息休息, 讨论讨论	rest a bit, talk it over
AAB	Separable verbs	散散步, 聊聊天	go for a stroll, have a chat
A了A	Past, one syllable	看了看, 想了想	glanced, thought for a moment
AB了AB	Past, two syllables	研究了研究	looked into it a bit
AABB	Two-syllable adjectives	高高兴兴, 干干净净	very happily, spotless

Real-Life Dialogues with Doubled Verbs

Dialogue 1: Shopping for a Jacket

A: 这件外套怎么样？
- Pinyin: Zhè jiàn wàitào zěnmeyàng?
- English: What do you think of this jacket?
B: 颜色不错，你试一试吧。
- Pinyin: Yánsè búcuò, nǐ shì yi shì ba.
- English: Nice color. Try it on.
A: 有点儿小。你帮我找找大一号的。
- Pinyin: Yǒudiǎnr xiǎo. Nǐ bāng wǒ zhǎozhao dà yí hào de.
- English: It's a bit small. Can you look for one a size up?
B: 好，你等等。
- Pinyin: Hǎo, nǐ děngdeng.
- English: Sure, hang on.

Dialogue 2: After a Long Day

A: 今天上班累死了。
- Pinyin: Jīntiān shàngbān lèi sǐ le.
- English: Work wore me out today.
B: 吃完饭我们去河边散散步吧，放松放松。
- Pinyin: Chī wán fàn wǒmen qù hé biān sàn san bù ba, fàngsōng fàngsōng.
- English: Let's take a walk by the river after dinner and relax a bit.
A: 好啊。我也想跟你聊聊天。
- Pinyin: Hǎo a. Wǒ yě xiǎng gēn nǐ liáo liao tiān.
- English: Sure. I'd like to have a chat with you too.
B: 怎么了？工作上有事？
- Pinyin: Zěnme le? Gōngzuò shang yǒu shì?
- English: What's up? Something at work?
A: 我想换工作，你帮我想想。
- Pinyin: Wǒ xiǎng huàn gōngzuò, nǐ bāng wǒ xiǎngxiang.
- English: I'm thinking of changing jobs. Help me think it through.

Common Mistakes with Verb Doubling in Chinese

Mistake 1: Putting 一 Inside a Two-Syllable Verb

Wrong: 我们休息一休息吧。
Right: 我们休息休息吧。
- Pinyin: Wǒmen xiūxi xiūxi ba.
- English: Let's take a little break.

Mistake 2: Doubling the Whole Separable Verb

Wrong: 晚上我们去散步散步。
Right: 晚上我们去散散步。
- Pinyin: Wǎnshang wǒmen qù sàn san bù.
- English: We're going for a little walk this evening.

Mistake 3: Putting 了 at the End

Wrong: 他看看了我，没说话。
Right: 他看了看我，没说话。
- Pinyin: Tā kàn le kàn wǒ, méi shuōhuà.
- English: He looked at me for a moment and said nothing.

Mistake 4: Doubling and Adding 一下

Both already mean "a bit," so using them together is one too many.

Wrong: 你看看一下这个。
Right: 你看看这个。 / 你看一下这个。
- Pinyin: Nǐ kànkan zhège. / Nǐ kàn yíxià zhège.
- English: Take a look at this.

Practice Quiz: Chinese Reduplication

Write the doubled form. Answers are below.

你 ___ 这个菜，很好吃。 (尝: Have a taste of this dish, it's good.)
周末我们 ___ 房间吧。 (打扫: Let's give the room a clean this weekend.)
他 ___ 窗外，说："下雨了。" (看, past: He glanced out the window and said, "It's raining.")
晚饭以后我想去 ___ 。 (散步: After dinner I want to go for a little walk.)
Which one is wrong? A. 想一想 B. 休息一休息 C. 聊聊天

Answers

尝尝 or 尝一尝 (one-syllable verb)
打扫打扫 (two-syllable verb, ABAB)
看了看 (past, 了 in the middle)
散散步 (separable verb, AAB)
B (two-syllable verbs take no 一, so say 休息休息)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is verb reduplication in Chinese?

It means saying a verb twice, as in 看看 (have a look) or 休息休息 (take a little rest). The doubled verb makes the action sound short, light and casual, and it often makes a request softer.

What is the difference between 看看 and 看一看?

In everyday use there is almost no difference. Both mean "have a look." 看一看 has a slightly fuller rhythm and can sound a little more deliberate, and the 一 form only works with one-syllable verbs.

Can all Chinese verbs be doubled?

No. Verbs for states and feelings, like 是, 有, 在, 知道 and 喜欢, are not doubled, and neither are verbs for things that happen in an instant, like 到 or 忘. You also don't double a verb when it already has a result, a duration or 着 attached.

How do you use verb reduplication in the past tense?

Put 了 between the two verbs: 看了看, 想了想, 笑了笑. For two-syllable verbs it goes after the first AB, as in 研究了研究. Saying 看看了 is wrong.

What is the difference between ABAB and AABB in Chinese?

ABAB is for two-syllable verbs and means "do it a bit," as in 休息休息. AABB is mostly for two-syllable adjectives and makes the description stronger and more vivid, as in 高高兴兴 (very happily).

What's Next

Doubled verbs are easiest to learn by ear, so try using one every time you ask a friend for help: 帮我看看, 你尝尝, 我们聊聊天. Next, look at how actions are timed with the particle 了 and with duration phrases.

Learn Chinese is free to download on iOS and Android, with HSK vocabulary, built-in audio, grammar lessons and practice tests to help you hear and use patterns like 看看 and 休息休息. HSK 1 and 2 are free in full, and Learn Chinese Pro adds HSK 3 to 6.