紧紧 (jǐn jǐn) — tightly; closely | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A reduplicated adverb (often before 抓住/抱住/握住) meaning 'very tightly' — adds emphasis beyond the plain adverb 紧, so the hold or grasp is especially firm.

bound form

tightlyclosely

Examples

紧紧。
Tā jǐn jǐn wò zhù wǒ de shǒu.
He grasped my hand tightly.
。
Wǒ men yào jǐn jǐn zhuā zhù zhè ge jī huì.
We must seize this opportunity firmly.
紧紧，。
Tā jǐn jǐn bào zhe hái zi, shēng pà shuāi le.
She held the child tightly, afraid he might fall.

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.

紧jǐntight

紧 means tight, and repeating it gives closely or tightly.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 緊; 紧 is its simplified writing.

臤糸緊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

臤

臤qiān緊jǐn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緊 pairs 糸 (thread) with 臤 as a sound part; the simplified 紧 is a later shorthand.

Open 紧 →