Gradually: 渐渐 / 逐渐
副词 / adverbs
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
Subject + 渐渐(地) / 逐渐 + V / Adj + (了 / 起来)
渐渐 (jiànjiàn) and 逐渐 (zhújiàn) = "gradually, little by little". They describe slow, natural change.
- 渐渐(地): more descriptive, typical of stories: 天渐渐黑了 (it was gradually getting dark). It can go before the subject.
- 逐渐: more neutral / written, for step-by-step developments: 经济逐渐发展.
The sentence often ends with 了, 起来 or 下来.
Examples
天渐渐黑了，路上的人越来越少。
Tiān jiànjiàn hēi le, lù shang de rén yuè lái yuè shǎo.It was gradually getting dark, and there were fewer and fewer people on the street.
渐渐地，我们成了好朋友。
Jiànjiàn de, wǒmen chéng le hǎo péngyou.Little by little, we became good friends.
他的中文水平逐渐提高了。
Tā de Zhōngwén shuǐpíng zhújiàn tígāo le.His Chinese gradually improved.
Common mistakes
✗ 他渐渐很累。 → no degree adverb; you're describing change. ✓ 他渐渐累了。
✗ 逐渐地 is rare → ✓ 逐渐 / 渐渐地。