Chinese word

慢慢

Pronunciation

Pinyinmàn màn

Meaning

  • adverbslowly

Example

我们慢慢走，不要着急。wǒ men màn màn zǒu bú yào zháo jí

We walk slowly; don't rush.

Illustration for 慢慢 (slowly)

More examples

饭要慢慢吃，别狼吞虎咽。fàn yào màn màn chī bié láng tūn hǔ yàn

Eat your food slowly; don't gobble it down.

Core concept

Change unfolds gradually rather than arriving all at once.

Common phrases

  • 慢慢走màn màn zǒu

    walk slowly

  • 慢慢来màn màn lái

    take it slowly

  • 慢慢吃màn màn chī

    eat slowly

Similar words

慢màn: At a low speed during an action or movement.
越来越yuè lái yuè: As time goes on, with a state or degree steadily increasing.
渐渐jiàn jiàn: Little by little as a change takes place over time.

Definition in Chinese

表示动作、变化等逐步而缓慢地进行，也常用于安抚对方的口语副词。biǎo shì dòng zuò biàn huà děng zhú bù ér huǎn màn dì jìn xíng yě cháng yòng yú ān fǔ duì fāng de kóu yǔ fù cí

Word origin

The form 慢 (màn, "slow") + 慢 (màn, "slow") uses repetition to express sustained, gradual movement instead of a single slow moment.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often hear slowly only as a description of how an action is performed, while this conversational word can also frame a process as calmly unfolding over time.

Other meanings

  • little by littleadverb
  • graduallyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word