jam4 si1吟詩吟诗
Jyutpingjam4 si1
Yaleyàhm sī
Definition
To recite or chant poetry.
colloquialother
How it's used
Refers specifically to the rhythmic, often melodic way of chanting or reciting classical Chinese poetry. It carries a sense of literary refinement and is rarely used for modern free verse or casual reading. The term implies a performance-like quality rather than just reading words off a page.
Examples
He really likes reciting poems in the park.
Related words
Common phrases
to recite poems and compose couplets
Common mistake
Do not use this for reading prose or modern text, as it specifically evokes the traditional cultural practice of reciting classical verse. Using it for a standard book report or reading a newspaper article would sound bizarrely archaic.
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).
