永鈞 Posted April 8, 2019 at 09:59 AM Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 at 09:59 AM Is there somewhere I can find a list of terms like 空蕩蕩 硬梆梆 冷冰冰 etc. etc also, I have a question about the general use of reduplification in Chinese. It seems it’s often used used to increase intensity, to say something more emphatically like 轟轟烈烈 or the above XYY duplification examples. However, sometimes it’s done for the opposite reason, to soften the tone like saying 臭臭 instead of 臭. In that case I imagine the thing that is 臭臭的 is not quite as smelly as the thing that is 臭, or at least the speaker is less indignant about it. what I want to ask is, can someone give examples of reduplification in Chinese where it could either be used to strengthen or soften the meaning being conveyed, and it is only obvious what is intended when you see the example in original context or hear it spoken out loud and can hear the tone of voice etc. By by the way, It’s possible that such examples don’t really exist or are very rare. I’m not suggesting that this ambiguity is a major issue with Chinese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
永鈞 Posted April 8, 2019 at 10:11 AM Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 at 10:11 AM https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/1353-chinese-expletives-reduplicated-adjectives/?tab=comments#comment-11504 Oh someone made a big list of these here in 2004 I don’t know how I missed it earlier. Anyway, I’m still curious about the other question regarding adjectival reduplication Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Publius Posted April 8, 2019 at 12:06 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 at 12:06 PM Here is the relevant section in Chinese: A Comprehensive Grammar. My understanding is that there are three types of reduplication: AA and ABB for monosyllabic adjectives, AABB for disyllabic adjectives. The AA type often has an affectionate tone. 臭臭的 is still smelly but perhaps in a cute sort of way. The ABB type does not have this function and merely serves to make an adjective (more) descriptive. 臭哄哄的 describes how smelly it is instead of simply pointing out that it does not smell good. I can't think of an example where the meaning is ambiguous. The AABB type is a different animal since monosyllabic and disyllabic adjectives behave quite differently in Chinese, for instance, in determining whether a 的 is required. 轟轟烈烈 is not a very good example of reduplicated adjective (轟烈 is not a word), but I think in general it's similar to ABB (except it's more often used adverbially) and it's limited to adjectives of appearance and manner. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
永鈞 Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:06 PM Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:06 PM @Publius thanks, your response is very sensible. I didn’t really think through the post when writing it. Your right 轟轟烈烈 is not really relevant here. In addition to 臭臭的 and 壞壞的 can you think of words where duplication has a ‘softening’ effect rather than an intensifying effect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
永鈞 Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:08 PM Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:08 PM Or do monosyllabic adjectives always have that sofetning effect? Is 濕濕的 less wet/damp than just 濕？ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wurstmann Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:23 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:23 PM I believe it softens the tone, not the meaning. So 湿湿的 still means wet, it just gives off a different feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Publius Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:25 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:25 PM Hmm, I see no difference in degree of dampness. Maybe the 'softening' effect is the result of a derogatory/negative sense combined with an affectionate tone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wurstmann Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:39 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:39 PM 她很漂亮，眼睛大大的 - She's very beautiful, with big eyes. Feels somewhat 'cute' or 'amazed', makes the description more vivid. Hard to describe xD 她的眼睛很大 - Her eyes are big. Feels matter-of-factly to me. The Chinese grammar wiki just says "Reduplication can enhance the descriptive feeling of an adjective." What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Publius Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:43 PM Report Share Posted April 8, 2019 at 01:43 PM @WurstmannYeah, I agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moshen Posted July 26, 2022 at 03:29 PM Report Share Posted July 26, 2022 at 03:29 PM I have been reading Chinese folktales and noticed that they often use duplicated adjectives and adverbs. It seems to me that I seldom encountered this structure in reading news articles on, say, The Chairman's Bao. So my first question is, does this structure have a light or fantasy-like tone especially appropriate to fairy tales? (That's how it comes across to me, but this impression might be mistaken. Secondly, is this structure less often used in serious prose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculatrix Posted July 27, 2022 at 07:19 AM Report Share Posted July 27, 2022 at 07:19 AM Here's a list of all words with duplicate characters from CC-Cedict. WordsWithDuplicateCharsInCCCedict.txt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becky82 Posted July 27, 2022 at 07:59 AM Report Share Posted July 27, 2022 at 07:59 AM On 4/8/2019 at 5:59 PM, 永鈞 said: Is there somewhere I can find a list of terms like 空蕩蕩 硬梆梆 冷冰冰 etc. etc This thin book contains a list of them Here they are: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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