jin4筵
Jyutpingjin4
Yaleyìhn
Definition
A bamboo mat for sitting, or a banquet.
- archaicbamboo mat for sitting on the floor
- banquet; feast
writtenfoodfestival
How it's used
Refers almost exclusively to formal banquets or feasts in modern Cantonese, often appearing in the compound 筵席. It carries a traditional, somewhat literary weight that makes it sound much more formal than the common term 飲宴. You will rarely hear it used to describe the literal bamboo mat in daily speech.
Examples
How many tables are you hosting for the banquet tonight?
They have prepared a very lavish banquet.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 延, which sounds identical but relates to extending or delaying. Ensure you use the bamboo radical when writing about feasts.
Grammar color guide
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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).
