渐渐 is an adverb meaning 'gradually' or 'little by little'. Though composed of two identical characters (渐), each meaning 'gradual' or 'progressive' on its own, the reduplicated form emphasizes a slow, continuous change over time—not sudden or abrupt. It describes processes where something increases, decreases, appears, disappears, or transforms in a steady, observable way.

This word commonly modifies verbs or adjectives and usually appears before the predicate, often near the beginning of a clause or after the subject. It’s neutral in register—used in both spoken and written Chinese—and frequently appears in descriptions of natural phenomena, personal development, emotional shifts, or daily changes (e.g., light fading, temperature dropping, confidence growing). Unlike some other adverbs, 渐渐 does not require auxiliary words like 地 when modifying verbs—it functions directly and naturally.