Meaning of 慢慢
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- slowly; gradually
How to use 慢慢
慢慢 usually goes before a verb to describe doing something slowly or bit by bit, often with 地 (de) in writing. It is also common in kind phrases like 慢慢来 (mànmàn lái), take your time. Example: 你慢慢说。(Nǐ mànmàn shuō.) Speak slowly.
慢 (màn) has the heart radical 忄 on the left, so think of a calm heart that refuses to rush. Saying it twice, 慢慢 (mànmàn), stretches the word out the same way the action stretches out in time.
Common mistake: Learners often put 慢慢 after the verb, as in 说慢慢, but it belongs before the verb: 慢慢说. To say someone does something slowly after the verb, use 得 instead: 他说得很慢 (tā shuō de hěn màn).
慢慢 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
慢 màn · slow · 14 strokes
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慢 màn · slow · 14 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 慢慢.
| 慢车 | mànchē | local bus or train; slow train with many stops |
| 慢慢来 | mànmàn lái | take your time; take it easy |
| 傲慢 | àomàn | arrogant; haughty |
| 缓慢 | huǎnmàn | slow; unhurried; sluggish |
| 慢性 | mànxìng | slow and patient; chronic (disease) |
| 怠慢 | dàimàn | to slight; to neglect |
| 慢走 | mànzǒu | Stay a bit!; Wait a minute! |
| 慢跑 | mànpǎo | jogging; to jog |
| 慢用 | mànyòng | same as 慢慢吃[man4 man4 chi1] |
| 放慢 | fàngmàn | to reduce the pace (of movements, steps etc) |
| 且慢 | qiěmàn | to wait a moment; do not go too soon |
| 减慢 | jiǎnmàn | to slow down |
Questions about 慢慢
What does 慢慢 mean?
慢慢 (mànmàn) means "slowly; gradually".
How do you write 慢慢?
慢慢 is made of 2 characters: 慢 (14 strokes), 慢 (14 strokes). That is 28 strokes in total.
Is 慢慢 an HSK word?
Yes. 慢慢 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 慢 and 慢慢?
慢 alone is an adjective meaning slow, as in 车很慢 (the car is slow). 慢慢 is the reduplicated form used mainly as an adverb before verbs, and it sounds softer and more gradual.
Does 慢慢 mean gradually as well as slowly?
Yes. It can describe change over time, as in 天慢慢黑了 (tiān mànmàn hēi le), the sky gradually got dark. In this sense it is close to 渐渐 (jiànjiàn).