man5 zit6敏捷
Jyutpingman5 zit6
Yalemáhn jiht
Definition
Agile, quick, and highly responsive.
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How it's used
敏捷 is primarily used in formal or written contexts to describe physical agility or mental quickness. In everyday spoken Cantonese, people are much more likely to use 靈活 or 快 to describe someone who is nimble or quick-witted. Using 敏捷 in casual conversation can sound slightly stiff or like a direct translation from written Chinese.
Examples
His reactions are very agile; he dodged the ball immediately.
Your movements are so agile, do you exercise regularly?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse 敏捷 with 靈活. While 敏捷 emphasizes speed and sharpness in reaction or movement, 靈活 focuses more on flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to handle different situations smoothly.
Grammar color guide
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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.
