jit6 hei3熱氣热气
Jyutpingjit6 hei3
Yaleyiht hei
Definition
Having internal heat, or food that causes symptoms like acne, bad breath, and mouth ulcers.
- technicalhaving excess internal body heat, causing acne, bad breath, or mouth ulcers
- describing food that is fried, spicy, or likely to cause internal body heat
colloquialhealthfood
How it's used
Refers to a specific concept in traditional Chinese medicine where the body's internal balance is disrupted by 'heat'. It is frequently used to describe both the physical state of a person and the nature of certain foods, such as fried or spicy items, which are believed to trigger these symptoms. People often counter this state by drinking cooling herbal drinks known as 涼茶.
Examples
Have you been feeling 'heat' lately? You've got mouth ulcers everywhere.
Eating too many potato chips easily causes internal heat, drink some herbal tea.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with simply being 'hot' due to weather or temperature. It specifically refers to an internal physiological imbalance rather than the ambient temperature of the environment.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
