jan4 san1人身
Jyutpingjan4 san1
Yaleyàhn sān
Definition
The human body, also referring to a person's physical freedom or reputation.
neutralbodypeople
How it's used
Primarily used in formal or legalistic contexts, such as discussing safety or legal rights. It rarely appears in casual conversation unless referring to specific concepts like personal attacks or physical safety. When talking about the physical body in everyday life, people almost always use 身體 instead.
Examples
What he said is too much, it is basically a personal attack.
You should not endanger someone's personal safety.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe someone's physical health or appearance, as it sounds clinical or like a legal term. Use 身體 for general health and 樣貌 for physical appearance.
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.
