ceon4旬
Jyutpingceon4
Yalechèuhn
Definition
A traditional unit of time representing ten days or ten years.
- a period of ten days
- a decade; ten years of age
writtentime
How it's used
Primarily used in formal or literary contexts to denote a period of ten days, often dividing a month into three parts: 上旬, 中旬, and 下旬. When referring to age, it is a sophisticated way to count decades, where each unit represents ten years of life.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
the first ten days of a month
the middle ten days of a month
the last ten days of a month
Common mistake
Avoid using this in casual daily conversation to count days, as it sounds overly formal or archaic. Most speakers simply use 十日 instead of a single 旬 when talking about time duration in everyday life.
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.
