Form and means of japanese reduplication


Im on my research about form and meaning of japanese reduplication. Have you
guys ever heard or use 休み休み? What exactly the meaning is? If I translate
'resting multiple times' is it right? Thanks




I assume you already know onomatopoeia/mimetic words such as キラキラ and ヒューヒュー,
which heavily use reduplication. The following is only about duplicated
_verbs_.

There are a few words that appear in the form of "repeated verbs", but you
have to memorize their meanings one by one, looking them up in a dictionary:

  * [休み休み](http://jisho.org/word/%E4%BC%91%E3%81%BF%E4%BC%91%E3%81%BF) (no-adj): "resting at times; with pauses" 
    * There is an idiomatic phrase [バカも休み休み言え](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/174685/meaning/m0u/) ("don't talk stupid", "go and boil your head").
  * [ノリノリ](http://jisho.org/word/%E4%B9%97%E3%82%8A%E4%B9%97%E3%82%8A) (no-adj): "in high spirits​; cooking" (almost always written in kana)
  * [イケイケ](http://jisho.org/word/%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%91%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%91) (na-adj/no-adj): "excited; upbeat" (almost always written in kana)
  * [飛び飛び](http://jisho.org/word/%E9%A3%9B%E3%81%B3%E9%A3%9B%E3%81%B3) (no-adj): "with intervals; scattered; sporadic"
  * [泣く泣く](http://jisho.org/word/%E6%B3%A3%E3%81%8F%E6%B3%A3%E3%81%8F) (adverb): "tearfully; with great regret; reluctantly"
  * [返す返す](http://jisho.org/word/%E8%BF%94%E3%81%99%E8%BF%94%E3%81%99) (adverb): "indeed; really; repeatedly"

Basically you cannot repeat arbitrary verbs (aside from rare exceptions in
poetry/lyrics, where verb reduplication is occasionally employed for metrical
purposes, e.g., 「本を読み読み」 = "reading a book").

You can use [`V + に + V` pattern to express doing something intensively and/or
repeatedly](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/24851/5010). This is a
generic pattern with which you can use almost any verb.

