jiu2杳
Jyutpingjiu2
Yaleyíu
Definition
Remote and out of sight, or dark and quiet.
- remote, quiet, and out of sight
- dark; deep
writtendescriptionsplaces
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively encountered in the four character idiom 杳無人煙 or the variant 杳無人跡. It functions as a literary descriptor for places that are desolate, remote, or completely devoid of human presence. You will rarely hear it used as a standalone adjective in casual speech, as it carries a formal or poetic weight.
Examples
The room is pitch black, it is truly deserted and quiet.
He moved to live in a remote, uninhabited mountain area.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 杳, which is a literary term, and avoid using it in everyday descriptions of dark rooms or quiet streets where common words like 黑 or 靜 are much more natural.
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.
