jim5苒
Jyutpingjim5
Yaleyíhm
Definition
Luxuriant vegetation, or the gradual passage of time.
- literaryluxuriant growth of vegetation
- literarypassing; slipping away (of time)
writtennaturetime
How it's used
Literary characters like this are rarely used in spoken Cantonese and are almost exclusively found in written prose or poetry. Using it in daily conversation will sound highly unnatural or overly dramatic. It is typically reserved for describing the lushness of nature or the passage of time in a formal context.
Examples
The plants are growing luxuriantly, it looks very comfortable.
Time passes by successively, years have gone by in a blink.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with similar looking characters like 冉, which is common in names. It is not a functional word in modern Cantonese and should be avoided in casual communication.
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.
