卿卿我我

Etymology
The chengyu, or at least the reduplication of in it, appears to be influenced by a story in the . , one of the Seven Sages, felt discomfited by his wife calling him , a second-person term of endearment then typically used by the man to refer to the woman (i.e. men's speech). The wife, in retort, famously said

Here in the construct 卿卿, the first 卿 is used by conversion (or anthimeria) as a verb that means "to call someone by 卿", which was idiomatic due to the high degree of elasticity of the Chinese language.

Idiom

 * 1) whispers of love; lovers' talk; to bill and coo; to be very much in love; intimate relations