频频 (pín pín) — repeatedly, frequently

Definition

Literary 'repeatedly, again and again' — more written than 不断 and 连连, with no sense of an ongoing stream. Use for short repeated actions, not continuous states.

adverb

repeatedlyfrequently

Examples

频频。
Tā pín pín xiàng tā wēi xiào.
She smiled at him repeatedly.
，频频。
Bǐ sài zhōng, tā pín pín dé fēn.
In the game, he scored frequently.
频频。
Zuì jìn zhè ge dì qū pín pín jiàng yǔ.
Recently, this region has had frequent rainfall.

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.

频pínfrequent; repeated

频 means frequent or repeated, and 频频 uses it twice to mean again and again.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頻; 频 is its simplified writing.

For 频, the traditional form 頻 came from an older form showing a person near water and meaning 'on the verge'; one part was later removed to mark the 'frequent' use.

Open 频 →