jan6仞
Jyutpingjan6
Yaleyahn
Definition
An ancient Chinese unit of length, equivalent to seven or eight chi (roughly an arm's length).
writtennumbers
How it's used
This is a strictly literary unit of measurement found in classical texts and historical idioms. It is never used in modern daily life for measuring physical objects, as it has been completely replaced by the metric system and standard Chinese units like 尺 or 米. You will primarily encounter it when reading traditional poetry or historical literature.
Examples
Ancient people often used 'ren' to describe the height of mountains.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the common verb 認, which means to recognize or admit. Learners often mistake the character due to its visual similarity in handwriting.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
