HSK 3
数量重叠：数词+量词+数词+量词
shù liàng chóng dié ： shù cí + liàng cí + shù cí + liàng cí
Reduplicated quantity structure: numeral + measure word + numeral + measure word
Explanation
This is the structure of reduplicating a quantity phrase: numeral + measure word + numeral + measure word (measure word → a word for counting units, like "cái, con, quyển" in Vietnamese), for example 一排一排 (yì pái yì pái – row after row), 一天一天 (yì tiān yì tiān – day after day).
(numeral + measure word) repeated twice + 的 (de) when modifying a noun → 一排一排的书架; or + 地 (de) when modifying a verb → 两个两个地进教室 (地 is the marker of an adverbial; an adverbial → an element indicating time, place, or manner).
when you want to emphasize a large quantity, repetition many times, or a continuous, steady process (reminding time after time, passing day after day).
it is easy to confuse 的 with 地 — before a noun use 的 (一排一排的书架), before a verb use 地 (一遍一遍地告诉); and you must repeat the whole "numeral + measure word" phrase, not just the measure word (wrong: 排排的).
Examples
In the library stand row after row of bookshelves.
The teacher had the students enter the classroom two by two.
Mom told me time and time again to pay attention to safety.
The days went by one by one.
Practice
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The grammar point “数量重叠：数词+量词+数词+量词” (Reduplicated quantity structure: numeral + measure word + numeral + measure word) is one of the key structures at HSK 3. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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