仅仅

• Pinyin: jǐn jǐn
• Hanzi breakdown: 仅仅 = reduplication of 仅; 仅 = 亻(person) + 又 (again), meaning only

Meaning

Only; merely; no more than. An emphatic form of 仅, stressing that the quantity or extent is surprisingly small.

Stronger and more emphatic than 仅 or 只. Used when the speaker wants to highlight that something is unexpectedly limited. Can be used in both written and spoken Chinese, though it carries a slightly literary feel.

Examples

1. 他仅仅花了两个小时就完成了。 He finished in merely two hours.
2. 仅仅靠一个人是不够的。 Relying on just one person is not enough.
3. 这仅仅是个开始。 This is merely the beginning.

Usage Guide

Context: emphasis, written, everyday

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 仅仅一年，他的中文就进步了很多。(In just one year, his Chinese improved a lot.)
• 这仅仅是我个人的想法。(This is merely my personal thought.)

Don't Say

• 我仅仅吃了一碗饭仅仅。(Don't put 仅仅 at the end of a sentence — it always comes before the word or phrase it modifies.)

Origin & History

Reduplication of 仅 (only). Reduplication intensifies the meaning, emphasising the surprisingly small scope.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal