san4 sik1神色
Jyutpingsan4 sik1
Yalesàhn sīk
Definition
Expression; look; bearing; one's facial expression and demeanor revealing their state of mind.
neutralpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the external manifestation of internal emotions through the face or eyes. It is often used in descriptive writing or when discussing someone's reaction to a stressful event. Unlike general terms for facial expressions, this carries a nuance of revealing one's true state of mind.
Examples
As soon as he saw the police, his expression immediately became very nervous.
Why do you look so flustered?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe a simple physical action or a neutral look, as it almost always implies that the person is hiding or revealing a specific emotion like anxiety, suspicion, or calm.
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).
