baak3 ngaa4伯牙
Jyutpingbaak3 ngaa4
Yalebaak ngàh
Definition
Bo Ya, a famous zither player and minister of the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period.
neutralpeople
How it's used
Refers primarily to the legendary musician known for his deep friendship with his listener, Zi Qi. It is almost exclusively invoked in the context of the idiom 高山流水 to describe a profound, empathetic connection between two people who truly understand each other's inner thoughts. Using the name alone implies a level of intellectual or artistic intimacy that goes beyond simple friendship.
Examples
Have you heard the story of Bo Ya playing the zither?
The two of them are as close as Bo Ya and Zi Qi.
Related words
Common phrases
Bo Ya and Zi Qi
Bo Ya breaking the zither strings
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).



