sin1 zi1先知
Jyutpingsin1 zi1
Yalesīn jī
Definition
Prophet; a religious messenger or someone with foresight.
- a religious leader chosen to deliver revelations and words from God
- figurativea person who has foresight or can accurately predict the future
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
Beyond its religious context, this term is frequently used in everyday speech to describe someone who possesses unusual foresight or claims to know how things will turn out before they happen. When used in this secular sense, it often carries a slightly sarcastic or skeptical tone, implying that the person is being arrogant or acting like a know-it-all.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He is like a prophet, having predicted the market crash early on.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage where it can sometimes refer to someone who is simply well-informed or wise. In Cantonese, calling someone a 先知 in a casual argument is almost always a way to mock them for acting superior or making unverified predictions.
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
