A来A去 for Doing Something Over and Over
Use A来A去, as in 想来想去 and 跑来跑去, to describe an action repeated back and forth, often before saying how it turned out.
Pattern
verb + 来 + same verb + 去 (, result clause)
A来A去 is an action going round in circles: 想来想去 is thinking it over and over, 走来走去 is pacing up and down.
我想来想去，还是决定先找工作。
When to use A来A去 for Doing Something Over and Over
Put the same verb (usually one syllable) before 来 and before 去: 想来想去, 跑来跑去, 走来走去. Here 来 and 去 do not mean coming toward or away from the speaker; together they show an action repeated again and again, often moving back and forth or going round in circles. The chunk stands as the predicate on its own, and an object never goes inside it.
孩子们在院子里跑来跑去。
The kids are running around in the yard.
他在门口走来走去，看起来很着急。
He was pacing up and down by the door, looking anxious.
天上有几只鸟飞来飞去。
A few birds are flying around in the sky.
钥匙我找来找去，也没找到。
I searched everywhere for my keys but couldn’t find them.
Common traps
- Keep the object out of the chunk: say 钥匙我找来找去, not 找钥匙来找钥匙去.
- 来 always comes first: 走来走去, not 走去走来.
- Don’t add 了 inside the chunk: 想来想去, not 想了来想了去.
Targeted drill
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