ding3錠锭
Jyutpingding3
Yaleding
Definition
An ingot, slab, or pressed cake of medicine; also a weaving spindle.
- ingot, slab, or pressed cake of medicine or other materials
- a spindle used in weaving
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How it's used
Primarily functions as a classifier for small, compressed, or disc shaped objects, especially medicinal tablets. It conveys a sense of solidity and compact form that differentiates it from generic counters like 粒. While it can refer to historical items like ingots of silver, in modern daily life it is almost exclusively encountered in the context of pills or lozenges.
Examples
You need to take two tablets of this medicine for it to be effective.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 錠 with 粒. While 粒 is a universal classifier for small, round things, 錠 specifically emphasizes the pressed, flat, or disc like nature of the object, making it more precise for tablets.
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.
