tan4 tan2 zan3揗揗震
Jyutpingtan4 tan2 zan3
Yaletàhn tán jan
Definition
Shivering, trembling, or shaking from cold, fear, or anxiety.
colloquialbodyemotion
How it's used
This reduplicated phrase vividly captures the physical sensation of involuntary shaking. It is frequently used to describe the visible reaction to extreme cold, but it is equally common when someone is visibly nervous or terrified.
Examples
He is shivering from the cold, quickly get him a jacket.
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 震騰騰, which is often used to describe something that is wobbly or unstable, like jelly or a loose table, rather than a person shivering.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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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).
