Meaning
仅仅 is an adverb emphasizing limitation or restriction, meaning something is 'only' or 'merely' the case and nothing more. It stresses that what follows is the sole extent or limit of something, often used to indicate that an amount, scope, or degree is less than might be expected.
Usage
仅仅 is commonly placed before the word or phrase it modifies to emphasize the limited nature of something. It's frequently paired with numbers, time expressions, or descriptive phrases. Native speakers often use it in both spoken and written contexts to underscore that something is surprisingly small, limited, or insufficient. It's slightly more formal than 只 but they're often interchangeable.
Examples
- 01这本书仅仅花了我二十块钱。.This book only cost me twenty yuan.
- 02他不仅仅是我的老师，也是我的朋友。, .He is not only my teacher, but also my friend.
Characters
Common collocations
- 仅仅是is merely, is only
- 不仅仅not only, not merely
- 仅仅...而已...merely... that's all
Antonyms
Origin
The character 仅 originally meant 'barely' or 'scarcely'. Doubling it to 仅仅 intensifies the sense of limitation and creates a more emphatic adverb meaning 'only' or 'merely'.