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紧跟着 (jǐn gēn zhāo) — then, right afterward (used to indicate immediate temporal sequence); closely following, hard on the heels of (in space or order)

Definition

An adverb meaning 'right after that' or 'hard on the heels of' — emphasizes immediacy in time or sequence (one thing happens, then the next follows at once).

adverb
thenright afterward (used to indicate immediate temporal sequence)closely followinghard on the heels of (in space or order)

Examples

  • ，紧跟着。
    Tā xiān zǒu le jìn lái, jǐn gēn zhāo wǒ yě gēn le jìn qù.
    He walked in first, and I followed closely right behind.
  • ，紧跟着。
    Dì yī shēng qiāng xiǎng hòu, jǐn gēn zhāo yòu xiǎng le liǎng shēng.
    After the first gunshot, two more followed immediately.
  • ，紧跟着。
    Diàn tī mén yì kāi, rén men biàn jǐn gēn zhāo zǒu chū le dà lóu.
    As soon as the elevator doors opened, people filed out one after another.

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.

紧jǐnclose
跟着follow
跟gēnfollow着zhe
后缀Suffix

紧 adds closeness, 跟 gives following, and 着 completes the sense of continuing to follow.

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 緊; 紧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
臤
臤qiān緊jǐn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緊 pairs 糸 (thread) with 臤 as a sound part; the simplified 紧 is a later shorthand.

Open 紧 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
足足zúfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
艮
艮gèn跟gēn
Same sound today

跟 is built from 足 (foot) plus 艮. The 足 part ties the character to foot-related senses, while 艮 gives the sound.

Open 跟 →

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 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě著zháo
Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Open 着 →
Appears in
Order & Arrangement

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