In the process of teaching Chinese language to the foreigners, the overseas students often make some mistakes in the aspect of the verb reduplication. When it comes to the teaching of the reduplication of verbs in Chinese, teachers need to pay much attention to the points as follows. First of all, the scope of application of the verb reduplication and the ordinary verb is different. In some cases, even though there are some verbs can be reduplicated in the sentences, it is not proper to reduplicate the verbs.

The reduplication of verbs is usually applied to the oral Chinese or the language of literary style. The official documents, the political comments and scientific style are not proper to use the reduplication of the verbs. For example, we can say快，坐下给大伙儿汇报汇报but can’t say 现将本季度的生产和销售情况汇报汇报如下. The second point that the students learn Chinese in China need to know is that the verb and verbal phrase in Chinese are free but the verb reduplication does not function as attribute. For example, it is incorrect to make sentence like 我突然听到了敲敲门的声音.

In the modern Chinese, the verbs can take the complement of result, time and action like 考试完，我要好好玩几天. However, it is no proper to be used after the reduplication of verbs like 好好玩玩几天. When the objects are followed after the reduplication of verbs, the words of numerals should be certain if there are numerals act as attribute before the object, or the verbs are not allowed to reduplicate. For example, 请您看看这本书的封面怎么样, in which 这本can’t be replaced by 一本.

In addition, the non-sustainable verbs are not reduplicated. Accordingly, it is wrong to say 这是我们的礼物，请你收收吧. Teachers in intensive Mandarin course in China may tell you that the adverbs like 正在、一直and总是 do not coexist with the verb reduplication because the former indicates the act lasts for long while the latter is the opposite, making it in contradiction.