一一点 (yī yī diǎn) — bit by bit; little by little; gradually | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A reduplicated adverbial phrase meaning 'bit by bit, little by little' — typically used with 地 before a verb to show gradual, step-by-step progress.

noun

bit by bitlittle by littlegradually

Examples

一一点。
Tā yī yī diǎn dì xué huì le zhōng wén.
He learned Chinese bit by bit.
一一点，。
Shì qing yào yī yī diǎn lái jiě jué, bù néng zháo jí.
Problems should be solved little by little; you can't rush.
一一点。
Wǒ men yī yī diǎn dì bǎ qián cún gòu le.
We saved up enough money gradually.

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.

一一one by one

一yīone一yīone

重叠Reduplication

一一 gives 'one by one', and 点 gives 'a bit'; together they mean 'bit by bit'.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

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 點; 点 is its simplified writing.

黑占點

Meaning part形符xíngfú

黑黑hēiblack

Sound part声符shēngfú

占

占zhàn點diǎn(r)

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

The traditional form 點 pairs 黑 (black) with 占 for its sound; the simplified 点 is a later abbreviation.

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