seoi5 jin4緒言绪言

Jyutpingseoi5 jin4

Yaleséuih yìhn

名詞

Definition

Introduction, preface, or foreword to a book or text.

writtenschool

How it's used

Primarily used in formal or academic contexts, this term is far less common in daily speech than 序言 or 前言. It carries a scholarly tone, often appearing in the front matter of research papers or serious literary works. Using it in casual conversation may sound overly stiff or pretentious.

Measure word

pin1篇pīn

Examples

le1呢bun2本syu1書ge3嘅seoi5緒jin4言se2寫dak1得hou2好sam1深jap6入。

The introduction of this book is written very profoundly.

nei5你tai2睇zo2咗seoi5緒jin4言mei6未aa4呀？

Have you read the introduction yet?

Common phrases

zaan3撰se2寫seoi5緒jin4言

to write an introduction

Common mistake

Learners often confuse this with 緒論, which refers specifically to the introductory chapter of an academic thesis or a lecture series, whereas 緒言 is generally restricted to the preface or introduction of a written text.