Expressing “Merely” with “jǐnjǐn”
仅仅
How it works
仅仅 (jǐnjǐn) means “merely,” “only,” or “just.” It emphasizes that the quantity, scope, or significance is limited.
Compared with plain 只 (zhǐ) or 仅 (jǐn), 仅仅 (jǐnjǐn) often sounds more formal or more emphatic.
Example sentences
一个人的成熟并不仅仅体现在他说了什么，更体现在他真正做了什么。
A person’s maturity is not merely reflected in what he says, but even more in what he actually does.
这场讨论的意义不仅仅在于得出结论，更在于让大家学会从不同角度看问题。
The significance of this discussion lies not merely in reaching a conclusion, but even more in helping everyone learn to view the problem from different angles.
他的成功绝不是因为运气，仅仅说“碰巧”显然无法解释全部原因。
His success is by no means due to luck; merely saying it was “by chance” is obviously unable to explain all the reasons.
Key point
仅仅 (jǐnjǐn) is often used when the speaker wants to stress that something is limited and not enough to explain the whole picture.