lim4 git3廉潔廉洁
Jyutpinglim4 git3
Yalelìhm git
Definition
Honest, clean, and upright; not abusing power for personal gain.
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How it's used
This term is almost exclusively used in formal, political, or professional contexts regarding ethics and anti corruption. It carries a sense of moral integrity specifically tied to public office or institutional responsibility. You would rarely hear it used to describe a regular person's behavior in daily life, where words like 正直 or 老實 are preferred.
Examples
Civil servants must be honest and upright, they cannot be corrupt.
Do you think this department is honest and upright enough?
Related words
Common phrases
honest and upright in performing one's official duties
to maintain integrity
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a general term for honesty, but it specifically refers to financial or professional integrity in positions of power. Using it to describe a friend who returns a lost wallet sounds unnatural and overly serious.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
