man4 baak6 ji6 duk6文白異讀文白异读

Jyutpingman4 baak6 ji6 duk6

Yalemàhn baahk yih duhk

Definition

Literary and colloquial readings; different readings of the same Chinese character used in literary versus colloquial contexts.

neutralothercommunication

How it's used

Refers to the phenomenon where a single Chinese character possesses two distinct pronunciations depending on whether it is used in a formal literary context or everyday spoken language. It is a technical linguistic term often discussed in the context of Cantonese phonology. You will mostly encounter this term in academic discussions or when learning about the historical evolution of the language.

Examples

ni1呢go3個zi6字jau5有man4文baak6白ji6異duk6讀，duk6讀jam1音hou2好m4唔tung4同。

This character has different literary and colloquial readings; the pronunciations are very different.

nei5你zi1知m4唔zi1知ni1呢go3個zi6字dim2點gaai2解wui2會jau5有man2文baak6白ji6異duk6讀aa1呀？

Do you know why this character has different literary and colloquial readings?

Related words

see alsodo1 jam1 zi6多音字dō yām jih

Common phrases

cyun4存zoi6在man4文baak6白ji6異duk6讀

to have literary and colloquial reading differences

Common mistake

Learners often confuse this term with simple polyphonic characters, but it specifically refers to the historical split between formal reading pronunciations and vernacular speech. Do not use it to describe characters that have different meanings based on tone or pronunciation, as those are distinct linguistic categories.