cing1 daam6清淡
Jyutpingcing1 daam6
Yalechīng daahm
Definition
Light, plain, and non-greasy food.
colloquialfoodhealth
How it's used
Focus on the balance between flavor and health when using this term. It is frequently paired with the particle 啲 to soften the description, making it sound like a preference rather than a strict dietary restriction. While it primarily describes food, it can also describe a lifestyle or a soup base that lacks heavy seasoning.
Examples
My throat hurts lately, it is better to eat something light.
Do you usually prefer eating light food or strong-flavored food?
Related words
Common phrases
to have a light palate
to have a light diet
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe a person who is boring or lacks personality. In Cantonese, describing a person as 清淡 sounds unnatural and confusing, as it is strictly reserved for flavors, food, or sometimes the visual style of a dish.
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).
