When learning Chinese language, you may have known the adjectives in Chinese can be reduplicated. In fact, verbs can be also reduplicated but it does not mean all verbs can be reduplicated. Then, some students who attend to Chinese school to study Mandarin may ask the questions about which verbs can be reduplicated and which can’t. To tell the truth, most action verbs and some of the psychological verbs in Chinese language can be reduplicated.

However, the point needs attention is that the following verbs can’t be reduplicated: the volatile auxiliaries, the directional verbs, the relational verbs, the existential verbs and the force-border verbs. Let’s take some examples to illustrate. We can say看看、听听、休息休息and learning Chinese language, you may have known the adjectives in Chinese can be reduplicated. In fact, verbs can be also reduplicated but it does not mean all verbs can be reduplicated. Then, some students who attend to Chinese school to study Mandarin may ask the questions about which verbs can be reduplicated and which can’t. To tell the truth, most action verbs and some of the psychological verbs in Chinese language can be reduplicated. “打听打听 but it is incorrect to say能能、是是、进进、应该应该and你让让他去吧.

In addition, we can say most verbs can be reduplicated are the durative verbs, that is to say, the verbs indicate that the act can be processed continuously. Even some can’t continue but should be processed for many times. On the contrary, the momentary verbs are the words indicate the actions are done for one time and can’t be repeated. The verbs of such type are not allowed to be reduplicated. For examples, the durative verbs can be reduplicated as 走走、看看、听听and唱一唱. But the momentary verbs like 原谅原谅、成立成立and来来are incorrect when being reduplicated.

Of course, most Chinese language teachers in Mandarin learning courses would tell you that most verbs can be reduplicated are the volitional verbs, indicating the actions can be controlled by themselves. The words of the opposite kind can be reduplicated. we can say 试试、跳跳、逛逛and选选but not 忘忘、病病and迷失迷失. In addition, the reduplication of verbs is frequently used in oral language. Therefore, the verbs with strong written language coloring can’t be reduplicated. We can say研究研究but can’t say 研发研发.

Besides, both 我看了看and我看一看indicate the actions are processing for only a short time or limited times. However, adding 了between the reduplicated verbs indicate the actions have been finished. If there is no 了, it indicates the actions do not begin yet.