mei4湄
Jyutpingmei4
Yalemèih
Definition
Brink; shore; bank of a body of water.
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How it's used
Literary and poetic in nature, this term is rarely encountered in casual spoken Cantonese. It is almost exclusively reserved for written descriptions of landscapes or scenery in literature. Using it in daily conversation will sound highly unnatural or overly dramatic.
Examples
He is standing by the riverbank looking at the water.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 邊, which is the standard, everyday word for edge or side. Avoid using 湄 in common contexts like the edge of a table or the side of a road.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
