单单 (dān dān) — only, alone, merely

Definition

单单 is an adverb meaning 'only / just / merely' that scopes a contrast — it highlights one element among others (单单他没去 = 'only he didn't go'). Often paired with 就 to stress a surprising limit.

adverb
onlyalonemerely

Examples

  • ，单单。
    Bié rén dōu qù le, dān dān tā méi qù.
    Everyone else went; only he didn't go.
  • 单单。
    Zhè jiàn shì dān dān kào yí gè rén shì zuò bù wán de.
    This task cannot be finished by just one person.
  • 单单。
    Tā dān dān kàn le yí biàn jiù jì zhù le.
    He remembered it after just one read.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

单dānsingle/alone
单dānsingle/alone

单, meaning single or alone, is repeated to stress that only one thing is meant.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 單; 单 is its simplified writing.

The form 單 originally pictured a Y-shaped wooden stick with two stones on top.

Open 单 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 單; 单 is its simplified writing.

The form 單 originally pictured a Y-shaped wooden stick with two stones on top.

Open 单 →

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