oi1 ming4哀鳴哀鸣
Jyutpingoi1 ming4
Yaleōi mìhng
Definition
A mournful cry or whine.
neutralanimalsemotion
How it's used
Focuses on a sound that conveys deep sorrow or distress, often used for animals or in literary descriptions of human suffering. It carries a much heavier emotional weight than simple crying or barking. While it can describe a person's cry, it is more commonly associated with the desperate, high-pitched sounds made by animals in pain.
Measure word
sing1聲sīngExamples
The dog is whining at the door.
Related words
Common phrases
to emit a mournful cry
Common mistake
Avoid using this for a standard cry or shout, as it specifically implies a mournful, pathetic quality. It is not a casual term for making noise.
Grammar color guide
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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).
