cin4 so2 mei6 jau5前所未有

Jyutpingcin4 so2 mei6 jau5

Yalechìhn só meih yáuh

形容詞Uncommon

Definition

Unprecedented; having never happened or been experienced before.

neutraldescriptions

How it's used

This phrase is a formal idiom that functions as an adjective to describe events or situations of extreme scale or novelty. While it originates from written Chinese, it is frequently used in spoken Cantonese to emphasize that something is truly unique or beyond past experience. It often appears with the particle 咁 to modify an adjective, such as 前所未有咁開心.

Examples

ni1呢ci3次ngai4危gei1機hai6係cin4前so2所mei6未jau5有gam3咁jim4嚴zung6重。

This crisis is unprecedentedly serious.

nei5你gin3見gwo3過cin4前so2所mei6未jau5有ge3嘅daai6大coeng4場min2面mei6未aa4呀？

Have you ever seen such an unprecedentedly grand scene?

Common phrases

cin4前so2所mei6未jau5有ge3嘅tai2體jim6驗

an unprecedented experience

cin4前so2所mei6未jau5有ge3嘅tiu1挑zin3戰

an unprecedented challenge

Common mistake

Learners often mistakenly use this as a verb or a noun, but it is strictly an adjective. It should not be used to describe minor or common occurrences, as it carries a strong sense of historical significance or extreme rarity.