Rare literary adverb meaning 'gradually' or 'little by little'. In modern Japanese, 段々 (だんだん) or 徐々に (じょじょに) are used instead. This word is easily confused with 全然 (ぜんぜん, 'not at all').
tall soaring rock
Extremely rare and obscure meaning; refers to the sight of a tall, soaring rock. Not used in modern Japanese.
Extremely rare and obscure meaning; refers to crying or weeping. Not used in modern Japanese.
In old writing, it is sometimes used like '漸漸に明るくなる' (it gradually becomes bright).
The usage of '漸漸' to mean a tall rock is only found in classical texts.
Examples where '漸漸' means crying are only found in classical Japanese dictionaries.
Rare kanji spelling; the reading ぜんぜん is normally associated with 全然 (not at all). This form is archaic and easily confused.
Alternate rare kanji spelling, same reading and meaning as 漸漸.
The kanji 漸 means 'gradually' or 'little by little'. The reduplicated form 漸漸 is an old literary adverb. The reading ぜんぜん is the on'yomi of the kanji. The obscure meanings 'tall rock' and 'crying' are likely unrelated and may stem from different etymologies or homographs; their exact origin is uncertain.