daai6 ci4 daai6 bei1大慈大悲
Jyutpingdaai6 ci4 daai6 bei1
Yaledaaih chìh daaih bēi
Definition
Infinite compassion and mercy; extremely merciful and compassionate.
neutralpeopleother
How it's used
This idiom is almost exclusively reserved for describing the nature of deities or Bodhisattvas in a religious context. Using it to describe a regular person often sounds sarcastic or overly dramatic, implying that the person is acting like a saintly figure when they are not. It carries a heavy, formal weight that contrasts sharply with everyday casual speech.
Examples
Guanyin Bodhisattva is truly merciful and protects all living beings.
Related words
Common phrases
The merciful Guanyin
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this to describe a kind or generous friend, but it sounds unnatural and ironic in that context. Stick to words like 好心 or 善良 for regular people.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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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).
