Mandarin Verb Reduplication: 看看, 看一看 and 一下
By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026
Say a Mandarin verb twice and the action shrinks to a quick, casual go: (kàn) is "look", (kànkan) is "have a look". One-syllable verbs have three shapes, two-syllable verbs repeat whole, and (yíxià) after a verb does nearly the same job.
Quick check
Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.
Pick the right one
0/3Tap the natural Mandarin.
Let's have a little rest.
He glanced at me.
Let's have a chat.
The whole system on one screen
The colours stay the same all page long:
| Shape | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA | | kànkan | have a look |
| A A | | kàn yi kàn | have a quick look |
| A A | | kàn le kàn | had a quick look |
| ABAB | | xiūxi xiūxi | have a little rest |
| + | | děng yíxià | wait a moment |
What doubling a verb actually means
Doubling does not change what the verb means. It changes the size of the event: short, casual, nothing much asked of anyone. That is why it softens a request:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Nǐ kàn zhè běn shū. | Read this book. (an instruction) |
。 | Nǐ kànkan zhè běn shū. | Have a look at this book |
。 | Nǐ shuō. | Speak. (can sound curt) |
。 | Nǐ shuōshuo. | Go on, tell us |
Add (ba) on top and it softens further:
- 你说 nǐ shuō: speak
- 你说说 nǐ shuōshuo: go on, tell us
- 你说说吧 nǐ shuōshuo ba: why not tell us
A handful of doubled verbs are so common they are worth learning as words:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| xiǎngxiang | have a think |
| děngdeng | hang on a moment |
| zhǎozhao | have a look for it |
| wènwen | ask around |
| zǒuzou | go for a stroll |
。(Ràng wǒ xiǎngxiang.) - Let me think about it.
一下 (yí xià): the near-synonym
(yíxià), "one go", after a verb does almost the same softening job:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Děng yíxià. | Wait a moment |
。 | Nǐ kàn yíxià. | Have a look |
。 | Nǐ tīng yíxià. | Have a listen |
。 | Wǒ xiǎng le yíxià. | I thought for a moment |
For a quick action already done, (le) goes before (yíxià), as in the last line. The two tools overlap; this is how they lean:
| Setting | 一下 (yíxià) | Doubling |
|---|---|---|
| Stranger, work | 。 | less often |
| Formal two-syllable | | sounds too casual |
| Friends, warm | fine | 。 |
Neither is a grammar mistake in a request; learners who use only (yíxià) sound correct and a little flat.
The three shapes for a one-syllable verb
A one-syllable verb doubles in three ways. The first two are the same quick go; the third puts it in the past:
| Shape | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA | 。 | Nǐ kànkan ba | Have a look |
| A A | 。 | Nǐ kàn yi kàn ba | Have a quick look |
| A A | 。 | Tā kàn le kàn wǒ | He glanced at me |
The past shape is the narrator's tool: something brief that already happened.
，。(Tā kàn le kàn wǒ, shénme yě méi shuō.) - He glanced at me and said nothing.。(Nǐ shì yi shì.) - Give it a go.
The second copy is neutral tone
The second copy loses its tone and is said short and light. (kàn) is fourth tone; is kànkan:
- kànsaid as tone 4
- kansaid as tone neutral
看看 kànkan: a full falling tone, then a short, light copy.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Not |
|---|---|---|
| kànkan | kàn kàn |
| xiǎngxiang | xiǎng xiǎng |
| shìshi | shì shì |
In A A, the goes light too: is kàn yi kàn. In ABAB the second pair is usually said lighter and faster: (xiūxi xiūxi).
Two-syllable verbs: ABAB, never AABB
A two-syllable verb repeats as a whole word, ABAB. AABB is the adjective pattern:
| Word | Doubled | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| (verb) | | xiūxi xiūxi | have a little rest |
| (verb) | | kǎolǜ kǎolǜ | think it over |
| (verb) | | rènshi rènshi | get to know each other |
| (adj.) | | gāogāoxìngxìng | happily, in high spirits |
| (adj.) | | piàopiàoliàngliàng | looking lovely |
。(Wǒmen xiūxi xiūxi ba.) - Let's have a little rest.
The middle is for one-syllable verbs. For a softer two-syllable verb, use (yíxià): 。 (Wǒmen xiūxi yíxià ba.) - Let's take a short break.
Verb + object words: double the verb half only
Some two-syllable verbs are really a verb plus its own object: (liáotiān), chat, is "chat + sky". Usually only the verb half doubles:
| Word | Doubled | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| liáoliao tiān | have a chat | |
| bāngbang máng | give a hand | |
| jiànjian miàn | meet up |
The test: if (le) can split the word, it is one of these. (liáo le tiān), we chatted, works, so doubles as . More on these in verb-object verbs.
What reduplication cannot do
A doubled verb is a small, unmeasured go. Anything that measures the action or says it reached an end clashes with it:
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
。 | 。 | a state (know, be, have) is not a "go" |
。 | 。 | a counted action is not a quick go |
。 | 。 | (wán) says it finished: no doubling |
。 | 。 | in the past, (le) goes in the middle |
One (le) is fine at the end: the (le) of a new situation, "it's time to":
。(Nǐ gāi xiūxi xiūxi le.) - It's time you took a break.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
。 | 。 | a two-syllable verb repeats whole, ABAB |
。 | 。 | double the verb half of (liáotiān), not the object |
| kàn kàn | kànkan | the second copy is said light |
Reduplication of verbs is a Higher-tier point on the AQA GCSE Chinese specification.
What to do next
- Do the drill below, saying each doubled verb aloud with a light second copy.
- Turn three of your requests soft today:
(nǐ kànkan),(děng yíxià),(ràng wǒ xiǎngxiang). - Then read requests and imperatives for
(qǐng),(ba) and(bié).