<p>喜欢= like to; love to</p>

<p>欢喜= happy</p>

<blockquote>
  <ol>
  <li>保龄球我喜欢是<strong>喜欢</strong>，不过打得不好-- (As for bowling, It is true that I <strong>like it</strong>, but I am not very good at it.)</li>
  </ol>
</blockquote>

<p>[Subject XX 是 XX]= [granted/ It is true that subject is XX] </p>

<p>Example:</p>

<p>"他<strong>贪心是贪心</strong>, 但他不会为了钱做违法的事情"= "他<strong>贪心是真的</strong>, 但他不会为了钱做违法的事情" (<strong>It is true that he is greedy</strong>, but he wouldn't do any illegal thing for money)</p>

<blockquote>
  <ol start="2">
  <li>能夠打保龄我是很<strong>欢喜</strong>，但我必须先完成作业-- (I am very <strong>happy</strong> for able to go bowling but I must finish my homework first.)</li>
  </ol>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T04:00:36.540Z
Don't you think in your example, 他贪心是真的（It is true he is greedy）==他确实贪心(he is truly/really greedy)？
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T04:09:25.110Z
"truly" and "it is true that" are different. See examples:  (1.) "It is true that 1+1=2". (2.) "I truly love math". BTW, "他确实贪心" in English is "he is really greedy"
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T04:12:16.663Z
I agree it could be different in some other contexts. But in this context, I think it's pretty much the same. 他贪心是真的 has the same meaning of 他确实贪心.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T04:16:15.803Z
what context? 他贪心是真的, 但他不会为了钱做违法的事情 stated clearly that 'It is a fact that he is greedy, but he wouldn't break the law for money" 是真的 (is real) means not faked or presumed
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T04:38:39.480Z
ok, if I say: 他确实贪心, 但他不会为了钱做违法的事情. Do you think this sentence can express the similar meaning as yours '他贪心是真的, 但他不会为了钱做违法的事情' ?
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T01:16:31.507Z
2017-08-24T03:15:17.777Z
2017-08-24T03:15:17.777Z
Tang Ho
<p>喜欢是喜欢 is used to emphasize you really like bowling （it implies you would say something different in later context '不过打得不好'）, equally as 我确实喜欢. </p>

<p>Usually, it implies that you would say a 'but/however' after this expression. Like this example, 保龄球我喜欢是喜欢，<strong>不过</strong>打得不好。 Another example， 这个人我讨厌是讨厌， <strong>不过</strong>他人还是不坏的。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T02:09:36.880Z
*喜欢是喜欢 is used to emphasize you really like bowling* -- No, 喜欢是喜欢 means, "it is true that I like bowling-- but" e.g. "保龄球我喜欢是喜欢, 但我必须先完成作业" (it is true that I like bowling, but I must finish my homework first.)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T02:37:35.550Z
@TangHo : I don't see any difference with that here. Isn't it "It is true that I like bowling" == "I truly like bowling", hence=="I really like bowling"?
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T03:13:22.927Z
"you truly like something' means 'you like something with a passion"; "It is true that you like something" just means "you do like something and it is not fake" . More importantly [subject XX 是 XX ] = [granted subject is XX]  usually followed by a 'but'
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T03:22:12.283Z
We need some Englishman to clarify here. To me, I truly like something == I really like something == I literally like something== it is true/real that you like something. Also I think "保龄球我喜欢是喜欢，不过打得不好。"==" 保龄球我确实喜欢，不过打得不好。"
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T06:16:21.180Z
I'm not an English native, but I'm positive that Tang Ho is correct. To make it clear, you could add a contrastive while and an actually:  "While it is true that I like bowling, I'm actually pretty bad at it."
Philipp
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T12:51:55.977Z
@dan Sorry, "It is true that ..." is not equal to "I really like ..." in English. Let me retract my accepted answer (though I appreciate your answer and keep my upvote).
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T12:59:02.960Z
For example, "It is true that Mike is tall." doesn't mean Mike is "really tall"; it focuses on the certainty and not on the degree of his tallness, be it 183 cm, 190cm, or 225cm.
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T13:55:13.747Z
@Blaszard, that's ok, because Tangho's answer is right too. But I still think there is no problem to translate 喜欢是喜欢 to 我确实喜欢(I really like), even 'really like' is not equal to 'it is true'.  If comparing 我确实喜欢 vs 我喜欢是真的， 我确实喜欢 sounds more natural. In practice, I rarely heard people say 我喜欢是真的, 我贪心是真的. It sounds a bit odd. Anyways, Tang ho's answer is ok. Mine does not deserve to be wrong. This is the point I argued for previously.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T00:50:12.947Z
2017-08-24T00:50:12.947Z
dan
<p>In the following sentence:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>保龄球我喜欢是喜欢，不过打得不好。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Why does this sentence use two 喜欢 and what is the verb in this sentence? </p>

<p>I understand that "the speaker likes bowling" and "the speaker nonetheless are bad at bowling". But I don't understand how 喜欢是喜欢 works grammartically...</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T02:11:27.810Z
喜欢是喜欢 always followed by a '但是', even if there are no 但是 followed, it still implies that something or someone don't support my interesting.
Daniel Yang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T02:40:04.557Z
Usually in a double character word like this the second character is omitted: 喜是喜欢…
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T15:49:24.233Z
As I have the passion to get the question clear (lol), I did an interesting survey among my friends about this question. I threw two options for 喜欢是喜欢， A. 我喜欢是真的， B. 我确实喜欢。 The result I got is 2 people vote for A, 2 people vote for both A and B, 3 people vote for B. While I was doing this, I got the best answer from one of my friends which are agreed by all. That is “尽管我喜欢” （Though I like it）. So, put it into the sentence, 尽管我喜欢保龄球， 但我打不好。
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-24T16:00:44.650Z
So, 虽然我喜欢 or 尽管我喜欢 is appropriate interpretation  for 喜欢是喜欢.
dan
<grammar>
What is the meaning of 喜欢是喜欢?
# What is the meaning of 喜欢是喜欢?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-24)

In the following sentence:

> 保龄球我喜欢是喜欢，不过打得不好。

Why does this sentence use two 喜欢 and what is the verb in this sentence?

I understand that "the speaker likes bowling" and "the speaker nonetheless are bad at bowling". But I don't understand how 喜欢是喜欢 works grammartically...

**Tags:** grammar

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 喜欢是喜欢 always followed by a '但是', even if there are no 但是 followed, it still implies that something or someone don't support my interesting.  
> **username_2**: Usually in a double character word like this the second character is omitted: 喜是喜欢…  
> **username_3**: As I have the passion to get the question clear (lol), I did an interesting survey among my friends about this question. I threw two options for 喜欢是喜欢， A. 我喜欢是真的， B. 我确实喜欢。 The result I got is 2 people vote for A, 2 people vote for both A and B, 3 people vote for B. While I was doing this, I got the best answer from one of my friends which are agreed by all. That is “尽管我喜欢” （Though I like it）. So, put it into the sentence, 尽管我喜欢保龄球， 但我打不好。  
> **username_3**: So, 虽然我喜欢 or 尽管我喜欢 is appropriate interpretation  for 喜欢是喜欢.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-08-24. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

喜欢= like to; love to

欢喜= happy

> 1. 保龄球我喜欢是**喜欢**，不过打得不好-- (As for bowling, It is true that I **like it**, but I am not very good at it.)

[Subject XX 是 XX]= [granted/ It is true that subject is XX]

Example:

"他**贪心是贪心**, 但他不会为了钱做违法的事情"= "他**贪心是真的**, 但他不会为了钱做违法的事情" (**It is true that he is greedy**, but he wouldn't do any illegal thing for money)

> 2. 能夠打保龄我是很**欢喜**，但我必须先完成作业-- (I am very **happy** for able to go bowling but I must finish my homework first.)

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Don't you think in your example, 他贪心是真的（It is true he is greedy）==他确实贪心(he is truly/really greedy)？  
> **username_4**: "truly" and "it is true that" are different. See examples:  (1.) "It is true that 1+1=2". (2.) "I truly love math". BTW, "他确实贪心" in English is "he is really greedy"  
> **username_3**: I agree it could be different in some other contexts. But in this context, I think it's pretty much the same. 他贪心是真的 has the same meaning of 他确实贪心.  
> **username_4**: what context? 他贪心是真的, 但他不会为了钱做违法的事情 stated clearly that 'It is a fact that he is greedy, but he wouldn't break the law for money" 是真的 (is real) means not faked or presumed  
> **username_3**: ok, if I say: 他确实贪心, 但他不会为了钱做违法的事情. Do you think this sentence can express the similar meaning as yours '他贪心是真的, 但他不会为了钱做违法的事情' ?  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-08-24. Score: 0

喜欢是喜欢 is used to emphasize you really like bowling （it implies you would say something different in later context '不过打得不好'）, equally as 我确实喜欢.

Usually, it implies that you would say a 'but/however' after this expression. Like this example, 保龄球我喜欢是喜欢，**不过**打得不好。 Another example， 这个人我讨厌是讨厌， **不过**他人还是不坏的。

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: *喜欢是喜欢 is used to emphasize you really like bowling* -- No, 喜欢是喜欢 means, "it is true that I like bowling-- but" e.g. "保龄球我喜欢是喜欢, 但我必须先完成作业" (it is true that I like bowling, but I must finish my homework first.)  
> **username_3**: @username_4 : I don't see any difference with that here. Isn't it "It is true that I like bowling" == "I truly like bowling", hence=="I really like bowling"?  
> **username_4**: "you truly like something' means 'you like something with a passion"; "It is true that you like something" just means "you do like something and it is not fake" . More importantly [subject XX 是 XX ] = [granted subject is XX]  usually followed by a 'but'  
> **username_3**: We need some Englishman to clarify here. To me, I truly like something == I really like something == I literally like something== it is true/real that you like something. Also I think "保龄球我喜欢是喜欢，不过打得不好。"==" 保龄球我确实喜欢，不过打得不好。"  
> **username_5**: I'm not an English native, but I'm positive that username_4 Ho is correct. To make it clear, you could add a contrastive while and an actually:  "While it is true that I like bowling, I'm actually pretty bad at it."  
> **username_0**: @username_3 Sorry, "It is true that ..." is not equal to "I really like ..." in English. Let me retract my accepted answer (though I appreciate your answer and keep my upvote).  
> **username_0**: For example, "It is true that Mike is tall." doesn't mean Mike is "really tall"; it focuses on the certainty and not on the degree of his tallness, be it 183 cm, 190cm, or 225cm.  
> **username_3**: @username_0, that's ok, because Tangho's answer is right too. But I still think there is no problem to translate 喜欢是喜欢 to 我确实喜欢(I really like), even 'really like' is not equal to 'it is true'.  If comparing 我确实喜欢 vs 我喜欢是真的， 我确实喜欢 sounds more natural. In practice, I rarely heard people say 我喜欢是真的, 我贪心是真的. It sounds a bit odd. Anyways, username_4 ho's answer is ok. Mine does not deserve to be wrong. This is the point I argued for previously.  

---

