HSK 2
V V
V V
V for a bit
Structure
Subject + Verb + Verb + Object
How it works
Verbs are often doubled (reduplicated) to indicate that an action lasts for a short period of time or is done in a relaxed, casual manner. This structure softens the tone of a sentence, making it sound more like a suggestion or a polite request rather than a command.
Examples
你听听，这是什么声音？
Nǐ tīngting, zhè shì shénme shēngyīn?
Listen for a bit, what is this sound?
我想问问老师这个问题。
Wǒ xiǎng wènwen lǎoshī zhè ge wèntí.
I want to ask the teacher this question briefly.
你等我一下，我去洗洗脸。
Nǐ děng wǒ yíxià, wǒ qù xǐxǐ liǎn.
Wait for me a moment, I'm going to wash my face (quickly).
Common mistakes
Do not use verb reduplication for actions that are currently in progress or actions that take a long time.
Tip
Only action verbs can be reduplicated this way. For single-character verbs, you can also insert '一' (yī) in the middle, like '看看' (kànkan) becoming '看一看' (kàn yí kàn), which has the same meaning.
More HSK 2 grammar
See V V in real Chinese
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