piu1 ling4嘌呤
Jyutpingpiu1 ling4
Yalepīu lìhng
Definition
Purine; a water-soluble organic compound essential for nucleic acids, also found in caffeine and uric acid.
neutralhealthfood
How it's used
This term is primarily used in medical, nutritional, or health contexts rather than everyday casual conversation. It is almost exclusively discussed when talking about gout, kidney health, or dietary restrictions. You will mostly hear it from doctors, dietitians, or people strictly managing their diet to avoid painful flare ups.
Examples
The doctor said these foods are very high in purines, so you shouldn't eat too much.
Do you know which seafood has the highest purine content?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with general terms for unhealthy food. It is a specific chemical compound, so it sounds strange to use it as a general adjective for 'unhealthy' or 'fattening'.
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.
