How to Say “Again and Again” with V了又V (kàn le yòu kàn)
V了又V is how you say you did something over and over: take a single-syllable verb, put 了 after the first, 又 in the middle, and repeat the same verb, Subject + Verb + 了 + 又 + Verb (我看了又看, “I looked again and again”). It marks insistent past repetition, usually leading to 还是 / 就是 (“and still nothing changed”) or 终于 (“and finally it worked”). It's not 又 A 又 B (“both A and B”).
Why this trips learners up
To say you did something over and over again, Chinese has a neat repeating frame: Verb + 了 + 又 + Verb. You take a verb, put 了 after the first occurrence, drop in 又, and say the same verb again. 我看了又看 (“I looked again and again”), 他想了又想 (“he thought it over and over”). The doubled verb, with 又 as the pivot, paints the action as done repeatedly, and usually more than just twice. It describes completed, past repetition, which is why the 了 is there.
The verb is single-syllable. This pattern works with one-syllable verbs, the kind you'd naturally do again and again: 看 (look), 想 (think), 问 (ask), 找 (search), 试 (try), 尝 (taste), 闻 (smell), 改 (revise), 洗 (wash), 背 (memorise). The 了 goes once, right after the first verb, never on the second and never on both: it's 想了又想, not 想又想了 or 想了又想了.
Where it's heading. V了又V almost always sets up one of two payoffs. The first is frustration: 还是 or 就是 follows to say that after all that effort, nothing changed. 我们问了又问，她就是不说 (“we asked and asked, but she just wouldn't tell us”), 我找了又找，还是没找到 (“I searched and searched and still didn't find it”). The second is eventual success: 终于 follows to say the repeated effort finally paid off. 这篇论文他改了又改，终于写好了 (“he revised the paper again and again and finally finished it”). So the frame carries a strong sense of effort, either wasted or rewarded.
One thing to keep firmly apart, shown in the comparison below: this repeating 又 is not the 又 A 又 B of “both A and B.” In V了又V the same verb repeats to mark repetition (看了又看). In 又…又…, two different qualities or actions are joined to say they hold at once: 他又高又帅 (“he's both tall and handsome”), 这家店又便宜又好吃 (“this place is both cheap and tasty”). Same character 又, completely different jobs: one repeats an action, the other links two traits.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
zhè fēng xìn 这封信 Object wǒ 我 Subject kàn 看 Verb le 了 Pattern yòu 又 Pattern kàn 看 Verb
I read this letter over and over (bare V了又V).
wǒ 我 Subject xiǎng 想 Verb le 了 Pattern yòu 又 Pattern xiǎng 想， Verb háishì xiǎng bù chū bànfǎ 还是想不出办法 Other
I thought and thought, but still couldn't come up with a solution (V了又V + 还是, futile).
wǒmen 我们 Subject wèn 问 Verb le 了 Pattern yòu 又 Pattern wèn 问， Verb tā jiùshì bù kěn shuō 他就是不肯说 Other
We asked and asked, but he just wouldn't say (V了又V + 就是, stubbornly unchanged).
zhè piān lùnwén 这篇论文 Object tā 他 Subject gǎi 改 Verb le 了 Pattern yòu 又 Pattern gǎi 改， Verb zhōngyú xiě hǎo le 终于写好了 Other
He revised this paper again and again, and finally finished it (V了又V + 终于, success).
yàoshi 钥匙 Object wǒ 我 Subject zhǎo 找 Verb le 了 Pattern yòu 又 Pattern zhǎo 找， Verb háishì méi zhǎodào 还是没找到 Other
I looked for the keys over and over, and still didn't find them (fronted object + V了又V + 还是).
tā 他 Subject shì 试 Verb le 了 Pattern yòu 又 Pattern shì 试， Verb jiùshì dǎ bù kāi zhège gàizi 就是打不开这个盖子 Other
He tried and tried, but just couldn't get this lid open (试了又试 + 就是).
zhè jiàn yīfu 这件衣服 Object tā 她 Subject xǐ 洗 Verb le 了 Pattern yòu 又 Pattern xǐ 洗， Verb zhōngyú xǐ gānjìng le 终于洗干净了 Other
She washed this piece of clothing over and over, and it finally came clean (洗了又洗 + 终于).
lǎoshī jiǎng de zhòngdiǎn 老师讲的重点， Other wǒ 我 Subject bèi 背 Verb le 了 Pattern yòu 又 Pattern bèi 背， Verb cái miǎnqiǎng jìzhù 才勉强记住 Other
The key points the teacher covered, I went over and over them and only just managed to remember (背了又背 + 才).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: The 了 goes once, right after the first verb, not on the second and not on both. It's 我想了又想 (“I thought and thought”), never 我想又想了 or 我想了又想了. Put a single 了 after the first verb, then 又 and the repeat.
Why it happens: For “again and again,” repeat the same verb with 了…又 (想了又想). Don't use 又…又…, because 又 A 又 B is the separate “both A and B” frame: 又想又想 doesn't mean “thought repeatedly.” Repetition of one action is 想了又想; two different things at once is 又…又….
Why it happens: V了又V repeats one identical verb, so both slots must be the same verb. 看了又读 (“looked, then read”) breaks the pattern; to say you read the letter over and over, it's 看了又看. Pick one single-syllable verb and repeat it exactly.
Compare & contrast
| V了又V (looked again and again: the SAME verb repeated for insistent repetition) | 又 A 又 B (both A and B: two DIFFERENT qualities or actions at once) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 他看了又看tā kàn le yòu kàn = “he looked again and again” (V了又V: one verb, 看, repeated to show he did it over and over) | 他又高又帅tā yòu gāo yòu shuài = “he’s both tall and handsome” (又…又: two DIFFERENT adjectives joined, 高 and 帅) | 他看了又看 means “he looked again and again,” V了又V repeating one verb, 看, to show he did it over and over. 他又高又帅 means “he's both tall and handsome,” 又…又 joining two different adjectives, 高 and 帅. Same 又, but one repeats a verb and the other links two traits. |
| 我想了又想，还是没主意wǒ xiǎng le yòu xiǎng, háishì méi zhǔyi = “I thought and thought, but still had no idea” (V了又V: insistent, often futile repetition of 想) | 这家店又便宜又好吃zhè jiā diàn yòu piányi yòu hǎochī = “this place is both cheap and tasty” (又…又: two qualities holding at once) | 我想了又想，还是没主意 means “I thought and thought, but still had no idea,” V了又V marking insistent, often futile repetition of 想. 这家店又便宜又好吃 means “this place is both cheap and tasty,” 又…又 marking two qualities holding at once. Repetition of one action → V了又V; two things at once → 又…又. |
Try it yourself
Say “I thought it over and over.” Use Verb + 了 + 又 + Verb.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “Again and Again” with V了又V (kàn le yòu kàn) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.