jin1燕
Jyutpingjin1
Yaleyīn
Definition
Name of various ancient Chinese states and historical places, most notably the Yan state.
neutralother
How it's used
Primarily encountered in historical contexts or formal place names, this character is rarely used in everyday speech outside of specific proper nouns. It is distinct from the homophone 燕 meaning swallow, which is common in names and idioms. Learners will mostly encounter this in academic discussions about Chinese history or when referencing historical Beijing.
Examples
Do you know where Yanjing refers to?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the bird 燕, which is a common character in personal names. While they share the same pronunciation, the historical state name is strictly limited to formal or historical contexts.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
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Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
