jin6諺谚

Jyutpingjin6

Yaleyinh

Definition

Proverb or folk saying, often carrying a moral lesson or allegory.

writtencommunication

How it's used

Usage of this character is almost exclusively restricted to the compound 諺語. It functions as a formal or literary morpheme rather than a standalone word in spoken Cantonese. When people refer to common sayings or proverbs in daily life, they typically use 俗語 instead.

Examples

keoi5 seng4 jat6 gong2 maai4 di1 jin6 jyu5 teng1 lok6 hou2 ci5 hou2 jau5 dou6 lei5 gam3

佢成日講埋啲諺語，聽落好似好有道理咁。

He is always quoting proverbs; they sound quite reasonable.

nei5 zi1 m4 zi1 le1 geoi3 jin6 jyu5 hai6 dim2 joeng2 lai2 gaa2

你知唔知呢句諺語係點樣嚟㗎？

Do you know where this proverb comes from?

Common phrases

jin6 jyu5

諺語

proverb

Common mistake

Learners often mistakenly use 諺 in isolation to mean a proverb, but it is a bound morpheme. Always pair it with 語 to form 諺語 when referring to a specific saying.