Meaning of 紧紧
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- closely
- tightly
How to use 紧紧
紧紧 works as an adverb before verbs of holding, hugging, or following, often with 地 or directly before the verb. Example: 她紧紧地抱着孩子。(Tā jǐnjǐn de bàozhe háizi.) She held the child tightly.
紧紧 (jǐnjǐn) is just 紧 (jǐn, tight) said twice. Doubling the word doubles the grip, so picture holding something so tight you have to say it two times.
Common mistake: In speech the first 紧 changes to a rising tone because of the third tone rule, so it sounds like jínjǐn, while the pinyin is still written jǐnjǐn. Learners also sometimes write 紧紧 after the verb, as in 抱紧紧, but the natural pattern is 紧紧抱着 or 抱得紧紧的.
紧紧 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.
紧 jǐn · tight · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
紧 jǐn · tight · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 紧紧.
| 紧张 | jǐnzhāng | nervous; keyed up |
| 赶紧 | gǎnjǐn | hurriedly; without delay |
| 紧急 | jǐnjí | urgent; emergency |
| 不要紧 | bùyàojǐn | unimportant; not serious |
| 抓紧 | zhuājǐn | to keep a firm grip on; to pay close attention to |
| 紧密 | jǐnmì | inseparably close |
| 要紧 | yàojǐn | important; urgent |
| 无关紧要 | wúguān-jǐnyào | indifferent; insignificant |
| 紧迫 | jǐnpò | pressing; urgent |
| 紧接着 | jǐn jiēzhe | immediately afterwards; shortly after that |
| 加紧 | jiājǐn | to intensify; to speed up |
| 紧凑 | jǐncòu | compact; terse |
Questions about 紧紧
What does 紧紧 mean?
紧紧 (jǐnjǐn) means "closely; tightly".
How do you write 紧紧?
紧紧 is made of 2 characters: 紧 (10 strokes), 紧 (10 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 紧紧 an HSK word?
Yes. 紧紧 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 紧紧 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 紧紧 is written 緊緊.
What is the difference between 紧紧 and 抓紧?
紧紧 is an adverb describing how tightly an action is done, like 紧紧握手 (jǐnjǐn wòshǒu, shake hands firmly). 抓紧 (zhuājǐn) is a verb meaning to grip firmly or to make the most of something, as in 抓紧时间 (zhuājǐn shíjiān, make good use of time).
Can 紧紧 be used for abstract ideas, not just physical holding?
Yes. It often describes close emotional or logical connection, as in 紧紧团结在一起 (jǐnjǐn tuánjié zài yìqǐ, closely united) or 紧紧围绕主题 (jǐnjǐn wéirào zhǔtí, closely focused on the topic). These uses are common in written and formal Chinese.