渐渐 (jiàn jiàn) — gradually | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Gradually — the most common, everyday word for slow change. Unlike 日趋, it is used in spoken and written Chinese alike.

adverb

gradually

。
Tā de zhōng wén jiàn jiàn biàn hǎo le.
His Chinese is gradually getting better.
。
Wǒ jiàn jiàn lǐ jiě le zhè ge wèn tí.
I gradually understood this problem.
。
Tiān qì jiàn jiàn biàn lěng le.
The weather is gradually getting cold.

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.

渐jiàngradually

渐 'gradually' appears twice, giving a sense of slow change.

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 漸; 渐 is its simplified writing.

氵斬漸

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

斬

斬zhǎn漸jiàn

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

The traditional form 漸 pairs 氵, a water part, with 斬, which gives the sound; the simplified 渐 is a later shorthand.