ceoi4徐
Jyutpingceoi4
Yalechèuih
Definition
Slowly; gentle and steady.
writtendescriptions
How it's used
Literary in nature, this character is rarely used as a standalone adjective in spoken Cantonese. It is almost exclusively encountered in the reduplicated form 徐徐 to describe a steady, gradual, or gentle movement. Using it outside of this specific collocation often sounds overly formal or poetic.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
slowly and steadily
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for the common spoken word 慢. Unlike 慢, which is the standard way to say slow in any context, 徐 is restricted to descriptive, literary, or formal settings.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
