fei2 cak1悱惻悱恻
Jyutpingfei2 cak1
Yaleféi chāk
Definition
Sorrowful and moving; sad at heart.
writtenemotiondescriptions
How it's used
This term is primarily used in literary or artistic contexts to describe music, poetry, or stories that evoke a deep, lingering sense of melancholy. It carries a sophisticated tone that suggests a refined or poetic sadness rather than a simple feeling of being upset. You will rarely hear it used to describe a person's everyday mood or a minor inconvenience.
Examples
The story he told was so sorrowful that I wanted to cry after listening.
Why are the lyrics you wrote so heart-wrenchingly sad?
Related words
Common phrases
exceedingly sentimental and lingering
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe simple sadness or bad luck, as it implies a sense of artistic beauty or complex emotional depth. Using it for mundane situations sounds overly dramatic or unnatural.
Grammar color guide
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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).
