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.

Sing “Los Politos Dicen” song in Chinese

Chinese Brushpainting of Hen and Chicks

“Los Pollitos Dicen” (The Baby Chicks Are Saying) is a cute nursery rhyme that is popular in Latin America. If you are not familiar with the tune, please click on this link to hear what it sounds like in Spanish.

In the following, the English translation of the original lyrics is in italics. Below it is the English translation of my Chinese interpretation.

小鸡吱吱地叫:                                 The baby chicks go chirping:
Xiǎo jī zhī zhī de jiào                       The baby chicks are peeping:
妈妈快快来哟!                                 Pio, pio, pio,
Māmā kuài kuài lái yō!                    Mama come here, hurry!
我们肚子饿了,                                 When they feel so hungry;
Wǒmen dùzi èle,                             We are all so hungry,
我们也好冷哟!                                 When they feel they’re freezing.
wǒmen yě hǎo lěng yō!                  we are also freezing!
母鸡四处寻找                                  Mother hen goes searching
Mǔ jī sìchù xúnzhǎo                        Mother hen goes searching
小麦和玉蜀黍.                                 For wheat and for some maize.
xiǎomài hé yùshǔshǔ.                     for wheat and for some maize.
她要小鸡吃饱;                                She gives the chicks a feeding,
Tā yào xiǎo jī chī bǎo;                     She wants the chicks to be well fed;
她要小鸡舒服.                                And warms them with her embrace.
tā yào xiǎo jī shūfú.                        she wants the chicks to feel comfortable.
母鸡张开翅膀                                 Under the hen’s warm wings,
Mǔ jī zhāng kāi chìbǎng                 The hen opens her wings
盖著她的宝宝.                                The chicks snuggle and pack tight.
gàizhe tā de bǎobǎo.                     to cover her darling babies.
小鸡不再吵闹.                                No more noise and clamor,
Xiǎo jī bù zài chǎonào.                   No more noise and clamor,
他们乖乖睡著.                                They sleep all through the night.
tāmen guāiguāi shuìzhe.                they fall into slumber.
小鸡吱吱地叫:                                The baby chicks go chirping:
Xiǎo jī zhī zhī de jiào                      The baby chicks are peeping:
妈妈快快来哟!                                Pio, pio, pio,
Māmā kuài kuài lái yō!                   Mama come here, hurry!
我们肚子饿了,                                When they feel so hungry;
Wǒmen dùzi èle,                            We are all so hungry,
我们也好冷哟!                                When they feel they’re freezing.
wǒmen yě hǎo lěng yō!                  we are also freezing!
母鸡四处寻找                                 Mother hen goes searching
Mǔ jī sìchù xúnzhǎo                       Mother hen goes searching
小麦和玉蜀黍.                                For wheat and for some maize.
xiǎomài hé yùshǔshǔ.                    for wheat and for some maize.
小鸡吃得饱饱;                                She gives the chicks a feeding,
Xiǎo jī chī dé bǎo bǎo;                   The chicks are full and happy,
躲到妈妈怀里.                                And warms them with her embrace.
duǒ dào māmā huái lǐ.                   and they hide in mama’s embrace.
母鸡翅膀温馨,                                Under the hen’s warm wings,
Mǔ jī chìbǎng wēnxīn,                    The hen’s wings are warm and comfy,
好像被窝一样.                                The chicks snuggle and pack tight.
hǎoxiàng bèiwō yīyàng.                  just like a comforter.
小鸡闭上眼睛,                                Till the next sun shines bright,
Xiǎo jī bì shàng yǎnjīng,                 The baby chicks close their eyes,
一觉睡到天亮.                                They sleep all through the night.
yī jué shuì dào tiānliàng.                and sleep till the sun shines bright.

四处 (sìchù) means in all directions, or everywhere.

温馨 (wēnxīn) means heart-warming, whereas 温暖 (wēnnuǎn) could mean heart-warming or warm in the physical sense.

一觉睡到天亮 (yī jué shuì dào tiānliàng sleeping until daybreak) is the Chinese expression for sleeping through the night.

Singing songs, watching videos and reading stories are effective ways to learn a foreign language. After singing this song a few times, you should have added to your Chinese vocabulary as well as picked up a couple words in Spanish. Please check out “Learn Chinese through Song and Rhymes” if you don’t already have this book and the associated audio files.