Adjective reduplication: AA, AABB, ABB

重叠 / reduplication

Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral

AA(的) ｜ AABB(的) ｜ ABB(的)

Reduplicating an adjective makes it more vivid and descriptive, typical of stories and descriptions:

- AA: 大大的眼睛, 慢慢地走.

- AABB (for a two-syllable adjective AB): 高兴 → 高高兴兴, 干净 → 干干净净, 清楚 → 清清楚楚.

- ABB: 红通通, 绿油油, 热乎乎, 亮晶晶.

⚠️ A reduplicated adjective already carries degree: no 很 in front. Add 的 (before a noun or at the end) or 地 (before a verb).

Examples

孩子们高高兴兴地回家了。
Háizimen gāogāoxìngxìng de huí jiā le.
The children went home happily.
她把房间打扫得干干净净的。
Tā bǎ fángjiān dǎsǎo de gāngānjìngjìng de.
She cleaned the room spotless.
小女孩有一双大大的眼睛。
Xiǎo nǚhái yǒu yì shuāng dàdà de yǎnjing.
The little girl has big, big eyes.
冬天喝一碗热乎乎的汤，真舒服。
Dōngtiān hē yì wǎn rèhūhū de tāng, zhēn shūfu.
A bowl of piping hot soup in winter feels so good.

Common mistakes

✗ 很干干净净 → no 很. ✓ 干干净净的。

✗ 高兴高兴 for "very happy" → ABAB is verb reduplication (cheer up a bit). ✓ 高高兴兴。