jan4 oi3仁愛仁爱
Jyutpingjan4 oi3
Yaleyàhn oi
Definition
Benevolence, kind-heartedness, and humanity; the quality of caring for and showing consideration for others.
writtenpeopledescriptions
How it's used
This term is formal and carries a sense of moral virtue or high-mindedness. It is rarely used in casual, everyday conversation to describe simple acts of kindness, where words like 好心 or 善良 are much more natural. You will mostly encounter it in educational contexts, formal speeches, or when discussing ethical principles.
Examples
He is a very kind-hearted person who is always helping others.
One should have benevolence and not be so selfish.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a common adjective for describing everyday behavior, but it sounds overly literary or even slightly archaic in casual speech. Using it to describe a friend's simple favor can sound stiff or overly dramatic.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
