hei3 jin4戲言戏言
Jyutpinghei3 jin4
Yalehei yìhn
Definition
A joke; words not meant to be taken seriously.
neutralcommunicationdescriptions
How it's used
This term carries a slightly more formal or literary weight than the common spoken term 講笑. It is often used when someone wants to clarify that a statement was not meant to be taken seriously, or conversely, to warn someone that a previous remark was not just a casual jest.
Examples
Don't take what I said as a joke, I am serious.
He likes to joke around, don't take it to heart.
Related words
Common phrases
purely a joke
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 講笑, which is the standard way to say 'to joke' in daily life. Using 戲言 in casual conversation can sound overly dramatic or like a line from a period drama.
Grammar color guide
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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.
