hing1 hoeng1馨香

Jyutpinghing1 hoeng1

Yalehīng hēung

形容詞Rare

Definition

Having a strong and pervasive fragrance, or figuratively used to describe someone who is highly esteemed.

having a strong, pleasant, and far-reaching fragrance
figurativehighly esteemed or popular (often used ironically to mean the opposite)

colloquialdescriptionsemotion

How it's used

While literally describing a pleasant scent, this term is frequently used sarcastically to mean that someone is unpopular or lacks a good reputation. When someone says you are not 馨香, they mean you are being shunned or viewed with disdain due to your recent behavior. It functions as a biting way to tell someone they are unwelcome without using direct insults.

Examples

le1呢fun2款hoeng1香seoi2水zan6陣mei2味hou2好hing1馨hoeng1香。

This perfume has a very strong and pervasive fragrance.

nei5你zou6做maai4埋di1啲gam3咁koi3嘅si6事，bin1邊dou6度wui2會jau5有jan4人gok3覺dak1得nei5你hing1馨hoeng1香aa1呀？

After doing things like that, how could anyone possibly think well of you?

Common phrases

m4唔hing1馨hoeng1香

unpopular or held in low regard

Common mistake

Do not use this word to describe a person's actual physical smell, as the metaphorical meaning regarding reputation is far more common in daily speech. Using it to compliment someone's literal scent can sound archaic or overly literary.