How to use 一再
Subject + 一再 + (地) + verb phrase
一再 emphasizes that an action occurs repeatedly, often across separate occasions. It is especially common with requests, reminders, explanations, statements, and other actions the speaker wants to present as persistent. The repetition may show care, insistence, frustration, or failure to achieve a response. Those attitudes depend on the predicate and context rather than belonging to 一再 in every use.
Place 一再 before the verb phrase; 地 can appear between the adverb and the verb. Many common combinations use two-syllable verbs with a relatively written style, although the expression also occurs in speech. Unlike a simple request for one more attempt, 一再 looks at a series of repetitions rather than proposing a single next occurrence.
Examples with pinyin and English
老师一再提醒我们检查名字。
The teacher repeatedly reminded us to check our names.
一再 describes repeated reminders across occasions.
我一再解释，但他还是不信。
I explained again and again, but he still did not believe me.
The following contrast highlights the unsuccessful repetition.
他们一再请求延长时间。
They repeatedly asked for more time.
一再 comes before the request predicate.
What to remember
- Use 一再 for a series of repeated actions.
- 地 is possible before the verb.
- Read approval or frustration from the surrounding context.
Practise the pattern
Use one example as a model. Change the people, objects or situation, keeping the grammar pattern in the same order. Read the explanation again to check how your sentence uses the construction.
Look up the grammar words
Source and editorial notes
Explanation and examples written for Laowai using the grammar curriculum as a topic reference. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.