仍然 is an adverb meaning 'still' or 'nevertheless', used to indicate that a situation or condition continues unchanged despite expectations, time passing, or contrary circumstances. The character 仍 (rēng) originally meant 'to continue' or 'to persist', while 然 (rán) functions here as a classical grammatical particle reinforcing the adverbial sense — together, they form a fixed, literary yet common compound expressing ongoing continuity.

This word appears frequently in both spoken and written Chinese, especially in formal contexts, narratives, or when emphasizing persistence against odds — for example, continuing hope after disappointment, or unchanged habits despite change elsewhere. It typically modifies verbs or adjectives and usually appears before the predicate, often following a clause introduced by 虽然 (although) or after a time reference like 过了十年 (after ten years).