ming4暝
Jyutpingming4
Yalemìhng
Definition
To get dark, or to be dark and dusky.
colloquialnaturetime
How it's used
Refers specifically to the transition period when daylight fades into evening. While often used interchangeably with 天黑, it captures the process of dimming light rather than the state of total darkness. It is frequently paired with the particle 喇 to emphasize the change in state.
Examples
It is completely dark, it is starting to get dusky.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 眠, which relates to sleeping. Learners sometimes mistakenly use it as a noun for darkness, but it functions primarily as a verb describing the onset of dusk.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
