tin1 zi6天字

Jyutpingtin1 zi6

Yaletīn jih

Rare

Definition

First; top-rate; the best.

colloquialdescriptions

How it's used

Refers almost exclusively to the highest rank or the very first in a sequence. It originates from the traditional Chinese thousand character classic where the character 天 is the very first one. It is almost always used in the fixed phrase 天字第一號 to emphasize that something is the absolute best, worst, or most prominent example of its kind.

Examples

le1呢gaan1間hai6係tin1天zi6字dai6第jat1一hou6號ge3嘅pou3舖tau2頭。

This is the number one shop.

keoi5佢hai6係tin1天zi6字dai6第jat1一hou6號daai6大laan5懶cung4蟲aa4呀。

He is the biggest slacker of them all.

Common phrases

tin1天zi6字dai6第jat1一hou6號

Number one; the very first

Common mistake

Do not use this to mean first in a chronological sense like first place in a race or first person to arrive. It is strictly for emphasizing status or classification.