ji3 dak1懿德
Jyutpingji3 dak1
Yaleyi dāk
Definition
Admirable virtue or moral excellence.
writtendescriptions
How it's used
This term is highly formal and literary, almost exclusively appearing in written contexts such as historical biographies, eulogies, or formal tributes. It carries a heavy, classical weight that makes it sound unnatural or overly pretentious in casual daily conversation. Using it in spoken Cantonese would likely confuse listeners or be perceived as a deliberate attempt to sound archaic.
Examples
He has admirable virtue, everyone respects him a lot.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a common adjective for personality, but it is actually a noun phrase describing a specific, high level of moral character. It is not used to describe everyday kindness or being a nice person.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
