tin1 saang1天生
Jyutpingtin1 saang1
Yaletīn sāang
Definition
Innate; inborn; natural characteristics or conditions a person or living thing is born with.
colloquialdescriptionspeople
How it's used
Focuses on traits or conditions present from birth, often implying that these qualities are unchangeable. It frequently appears in positive contexts to describe natural talent or beauty, but can also describe personality quirks or physical traits. Unlike formal Mandarin usage, it is seamlessly integrated into casual speech to explain why someone acts or looks a certain way.
Examples
He was born to love talking, he is so noisy.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using it to describe skills that are clearly learned through practice, as it specifically emphasizes an innate quality. It is not a verb, so it cannot be used alone to mean 'to be born'; use 出世 instead for that purpose.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
