on1 jin4安然
Jyutpingon1 jin4
Yaleōn yìhn
Definition
Safely and peacefully; free from harm or trouble.
writtendescriptions
How it's used
Literary in tone, this word is rarely used in casual daily speech and feels more at home in news reports or formal storytelling. It carries a sense of relief or surprise that someone or something has survived a dangerous situation without harm. When used in spoken Cantonese, it is almost always paired with other characters to form the four-character idiom 安然無恙.
Examples
After a long journey, they finally returned home safely.
Facing such huge waves, the boat actually managed to remain unscathed.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this as a direct translation for the English adverb safely in everyday instructions, such as telling someone to drive safely, where 平平安安 or 小心啲 is much more natural.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
