仅仅 (jǐn jǐn) — only, merely | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal-written adverb meaning 'only, merely', stronger than the everyday 只. Use 仅 or 仅仅 in writing; 只 is more common in speech.

adverb

onlymerely

仅仅。
Wǒ jǐn jǐn huā le shí kuài qián.
I only spent ten yuan.
仅仅。
Tā jǐn jǐn xué le sān gè yuè hàn yǔ.
He only studied Chinese for three months.
仅仅。
Wǒ jǐn jǐn xiǎng kàn kàn.
I just want to take a look.

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.

The sense of 仅 “only” is doubled to strengthen it.

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 僅; 仅 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

堇

堇jǐn僅jǐn

Same sound today

The traditional form 僅 pairs 人, a person, with 堇, which gives the sound; the simplified 仅 is a later shorthand.