递增 (dì zēng) — to increase gradually, to increase by degrees | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal verb meaning a number, amount, or degree rises step by step. Unlike 进步 (progress/improve, often of people or skills), 递增 describes a steady upward trend in measurable data like temperature or profit.

verb

to increase graduallyto increase by degrees

Examples

递增。
Gōng sī de lì rùn měi nián dì zēng bǎi fēn zhī wǔ.
The company's profit increases by five percent each year.
递增，。
Suí zhe qì wēn dì zēng, bīng chuān kāi shǐ róng huà.
As the temperature increases, the glaciers begin to melt.
递增。
Zhè dào tí de nán dù huì zhú jí dì zēng.
The difficulty of this problem will increase step by step.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

递dìin order

增zēngincrease

递 (in order) and 增 (increase) combine to mean rising step by step.

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.

辶弟递

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

弟

弟dì递dì

Same sound today

递 is built from 辶 (written in full as 辵) and 弟; 辶 is the meaning part and 弟 is the sound part.

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

土曾增

Meaning part形符xíngfú

土土tǔearth

Sound part声符shēngfú

曾

曾céng增zēng

Same sound today

增 uses 土 (earth) to show that things grow in earth or are built from earth, and uses 曾 for the sound. This gives the sense of adding or increasing.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6

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