Speak Mandarin like a Chinese by repeating certain words (Part 2)

We often use 白白胖胖 (báibái pàng pàng fair-skinned and fat) to describe a chubby baby with cheeks that invite an affectionate pinch. And, 高高兴兴 (gāo gāoxìng xìng glad, gladly) is usually the first phrase that comes to mind when we want to describe being in a good mood.

上图显示著一些大大小小的纽扣.
Shàng tú xiǎnshì zhe yīxiē dà dà xiǎo xiǎo de niǔkòu.
The above picture shows a handful of buttons of various sizes.

Theoretically, you could apply this AABB pattern for any Chinese adjective or adverb. However, many adjectives and adverbs are customarily not repeated in this way. For example, I’ve never heard “美美丽丽” for 美丽 (měilì beautiful), or “悲悲伤伤” for “悲伤 (bēishāng sorrowful)”, or “小小气气” for 小气 (xiǎoqì stingy).

Following are a number of adjectives and adverbs that are commonly duplicated, usually for emphasis.

快快乐乐 (kuài kuàilè lè) happy, happily
和和气气 (hé hé qì qì) polite and amiable, in good spirits
轻轻松松 (qīng qīng sōng sōng) relaxed, easily, without effort
痛痛快快 (tòng tòng kuài kuài) open and direct, without hesitation, with alacrity
大大方方 (dà dà fāng fāng) generous, gracefully
方方正正 (fāng fāngz hèng zhèng) square or upright
高高低低 (gāo gāo dī dī) uneven in height
普普通通 (pǔ pǔ tōng tōng) ordinary
稀稀疏疏 (xī xi shū shū) sparse
朦朦胧胧 (méng méng lóng lóng) hazy
疯疯颠颠 (fēng fēng diān diān) crazy, deranged, erratic
昏昏沉沉 (hūn hūn chénchén) groggy, dizzy and sleepy
慌慌张张 (huāng huāng zhāng zhāng) in a hurry-scurry
恍恍惚惚 (huǎng huǎng hū hū) vaguely, confused, as if in a trance
窝窝囊囊 (wō wo nāng nāng) cowardly
舒舒服服 (shū shū fú fú) comfortable, comfortably
服服贴贴 (fú fú tiē tiē) docile and obedient
安安稳稳 (ān ān wěn wěn) safe and sound
邋邋遢遢 (lā lā tà tà) sloppy, slovenly
踏踏实实 (tà tà shí shí) down-to-earth
地地道道 (dì dì dào dao) authentic, to the core
仔仔细细 (zǐ zǐ xì xì) in great detail, thoroughly, (checking) carefully
清清楚楚 (qīng qīng chǔ chǔ) very clearly
浩浩荡荡 (hào hào dàng dàng) in a grandiose way, said of an army or a large crowd of people

Hungry for more? Here are a bunch of Chinese idioms containing duplicated characters.

气势汹汹 (qìshìxiōngxiōng) aggressive, overbearing
喜气洋洋 (xǐqìyángyáng) full of joy
洋洋大观 (yángyángdàguān) spectcular, extensive
比比皆是 (bǐ bì jiē shì) can be found everywhere, great in number
落落大方 (luòluò dàfāng) graceful, at one’s ease
多多益善 (duōduōyìshàn) the more the merrier
格格不入 (gégébùrù) not fitting in or out of place (said of people)
苦苦哀求 (kǔ kǔ āiqiú) to entreat piteously
赫赫有名 (hèhè yǒumíng) very famous, illustrious
楚楚动人 (chǔchǔ dòngrén) lovely and enchanting (said of delicate women)
卓卓有余 (zhuō zhuó yǒuyú) more than sufficient, having enough to spare
姗姗来迟 (shān shān lái chí) jokingly or sarcastically said of people who arrive late
沾沾自喜 (zhānzhānzìxǐ) to feel smug
津津有味 (jīnjīnyǒuwèi) with keen interest or with relish (as in reading a book)
津津乐道 (jīnjīn lè dào) to talk abut something with enthusiasm.
谦谦君子 (qiānqiānjūnzǐ) a modest gentleman
代代相传 (dài dài xiāngchuán) passed down from generation to generation
头头是道 (tóutóushìdào) clear and logical, well argued, making good sene
口口声声 (kǒukǒushēngshēng) saying repeatedly
家家户户 (jiājiāhùhù) each and every family

四月通常有很多雨天.
Sì yuè tōngcháng yǒu hěnduō yǔtiān.
The month of April generally offers many rainy days.

你听到外面下雨的声音了吗?
Nǐ tīng dào wàimiàn xià yǔ de shēngyīnle ma?
Do you hear the sound of rain outside?

这些自然声音已被证明有助于放松心情.
Zhèxiē zìrán shēngyīn yǐ bèi zhèngmíng yǒu zhù yú fàngsōng xīnqíng.
Such nature sounds have been shown to help relax the mind.

放松下来; 让雨声帮助你集中精力学习这些成语.
Fàngsōng xiàlái; ràng yǔ shēng bāngzhù nǐ jízhōng jīnglì xuéxí zhèxiē chéngyǔ.
Relax; let the sound of rain help you focus on studing these idioms.

How to say not to worry in Chinese

雨过天晴

In everyday life we encounter situations in which someone owes you an apology. If it’s not a big issue, there are a few things you could say to ease their mind.

沒事.
Méishì.
It’s fine.

没关系.
Méiguānxì.
No matter. It’s OK.

没什么.
Méishénme.
It doesn’t matter; it’s nothing; never mind.

没问题.
Méi wèntí.
No problem.

不要紧 or 不打紧
Bùyàojǐn or bù dǎjǐn.
It doesn’t matter; that’s all right.

不要放在心上.
Bùyào fàng zàixīn shàng.
Don’t worry about it.

不要介意.
Bùyào jièyì.
Don’t mind it.

In case where someone is worried about something, you could try to tell them to relax.

别着急. 着急是没有用的
Bié zhāojí. Zhāojí shì méiyǒu yòng de.
Don’t worry. It’s no use worrying.

慢慢来. 别急.
Màn man lái. Bié jí.
Take it easy. No rush.

唉呀! 别紧张.
Āi ya! Bié jǐnzhāng.
Well, take it easy.

放轻松些.
Fàng qīngsōng xiē.
Relax.

不用担心.
Bùyòng dānxīn.
No need to worry.

你放心吧. 他一定会回来的.
Nǐ fàngxīn ba. Tā yīdìng huì huílái de.
Rest assured. He will definitely come back.

看开一点. 这件事没有你想的那么严重.
Kàn kāi yīdiǎn. Zhè jiàn shì méiyǒu nǐ xiǎng dì nàme yánzhòng.
Take it easy. This issue is not as serious as you think.

船到桥头自然直.
Chuán dào qiáotóu zìrán zhí.
The boat will straighten itself when it comes to the bridge.
(Let’s cross the bridge when we come to it.)

不要忧愁; 不久就会雨过天晴.
Bùyào yōuchóu; bùjiǔ jiù huì yǔguò tiān qíng.
Don’t worry; soon the sun will shine again after the rain.
(Every cloud has a silver lining.)

我想, 最后一定会皆大欢喜.
Wǒ xiǎng, zuìhòu yīdìng huì jiēdàhuānxǐ.
I think, everyone will be happy in the end.
(All’s well that ends well.)

Now, what would you say when you decide to shrug away some minor annoyance?

无所谓.
Wúsuǒwèi.
It doesn’t matter.

管他.
Guǎn tā.
Who cares.

随他去.
Suí tā qù
Let it be.

算了.
Suànle.
Never mind.

算我倒霉.
Suàn wǒ dǎoméi.
Just my luck!

谁叫我运气不好!
Shéi jiào wǒ yùnqì bù hǎo!
Who told me to be so unlucky!
(Just my luck!)

The story goes that once there was a poor old guy riding a rowboat along a river to go home. At lunchtime, the other passengers took out their lunchboxes and enjoyed their nice meals. All the old guy had was a salted duck egg that he had saved from his breakfast. He used a pair of chopsticks to poke a hole in the eggshell and then picked up bits of the egg to savor in his mouth. As he did so, the egg became lighter and lighter. At last, he decided to set the remainder of the egg aside to snack on later. Suddenly, a puff of wind swept by and blew the nearly empty eggshell off his hand. Watching his precious eggshell float downstream, he muttered:

风吹鸭蛋壳, 财去人安乐.
Fēng chuī yādàn ké, cái qù rén ānlè.
Eggshell went with the breeze; fortune’s gone, but mind’s at peace.

Yes, free is the heart that is not tethered by worldly possessions. By the way, when you are worried, you could try singing the refrain of “Worried Man Blues” in Chinese. This song is featured at the end of Chapter 25 of “Learn Chinese through Songs and Rhymes“. Click here to listen to the entire song in English.

Good Feelings in Chinese

含苞待放 (hánbāo dài fàng) Camellia buds waiting to bloom

From the many holiday wishes that we have come across at this blog site, you already know that 快乐 (kuàilè happy) and 愉快 (yúkuài joyful, cheerful) are happy feelings. Another common expression for feeling happy is 开心 (kāixīn).

明天詹姆士要来看我, 真开心.
Míngtiān Zhānmǔshì yào lái kàn wǒ, zhēn kāixīn.
James is coming to see me tomorrow; I’m so delighted.

有好感 (yǒu hǎogǎn) means to have a favorable impression or opinion of someone. 欣赏 (xīnshǎng) is to appreciate or admire someone. You would also use this word for appreciation of art or music.

我欣赏她的才能.
Wǒ xīnshǎng tā de cáinéng.
I admire her talents and abilities.

佩服 (pèifú) means to admire someone’s abilities or good qualities. 敬佩 (jìngpèi) is to admire and hold in high esteem. Same with 仰慕 (yǎngmù). The word 仰 means to look up to. At the highest level is 崇拜 (chóngbài), which means to adore or worship.

我佩服你的勇气.
Wǒ pèifú nǐ de yǒngqì.
I admire your courage.

兴致 (xìngzhì) is the mood for enjoying something.

今天爷爷兴致大, 多玩了几圈麻将.
Jīntiān yéye xìngzhì dà, duō wán le jǐquān májiàng.
Grandpa was in a good mood today and played a few extra rounds of mahjong.

兴奋 (xīngfèn) means to be excited about something, usually in a happy sense.

得意 (déyì) means to be pleased with oneself, or to have things going one’s way.

他升了两级, 得意洋洋.
Tā shēng le liǎng jí, deyìyángyáng.
He went up two ranks and was elated.

自豪 (zìháo) means to be proud of oneself.

这是他引以自豪的一篇文章.
Zhè shì tā yǐn yǐ zìháo de yīpiān wénzhāng.
This is an article of his that he is proud of.

中意 (zhòngyì) and 合意 (héyì) both mean “to one’s liking”, while 满意 (mǎnyì) means to be pleased or satisfied.

轻松 (qīngsōng) means to feel relaxed. 轻松的心情 (qīngsōng de xīnqíng) is a relaxed mood. 轻松的工作 (qīngsōng de gōngzuò) means a light task or an easy job.

自在 (zìzai) means to feel at ease and comfortable with one’s surroundings.

放心 (fàngxīn) means to be relieved of concerns or worries.

你放心, 我不会告诉他.
Nǐ fàngxīn, wǒ bùhuì gàosù tā.
Rest assured, I won’t tell him.

安心 (ānxīn) means to have peace of mind and not feel troubled.

你安心睡吧.
Nǐ ānxīn shuì ba.
Don’t worry; sleep well.

幸福 (xìngfú) means one’s well-being, or a feeling of being favored by good fortune.

祝你们永远幸福.
Zhù nǐmen yǒngyuǎn xìngfú.
Hope you will always be happy.

Finally, happy is the heart that is filled with hope, or 希望 (xīwàng). Hope confers additional pupose to life. Like a bud waiting to blossom, or 含苞待放 (hánbāo dài fàng), hope gives us something to look forward to.

我心中充满了希望.
Wǒ xīn zhōng chōngmǎn xīwàng.
My heart is filled with hope.