tin1 si4 dei6 lei6天時地利天时地利
Jyutpingtin1 si4 dei6 lei6
Yaletīn sìh deih leih
Definition
Opportune time and geographic advantage, indicating a highly favorable situation.
colloquialworkother
How it's used
Often used to explain why a project or venture succeeded beyond just hard work. While it can stand alone, it is frequently paired with 人和 to form the complete idiom 天時地利人和, which emphasizes that human cooperation is the final piece of the puzzle. It carries a slightly formal or literary weight despite being used in casual conversation to analyze business or life events.
Examples
The success of this business really relied on the right timing and location.
Do you think they have the perfect timing and location for opening their shop?
Related words
Common phrases
to have all the advantages of timing and location
Common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse this with simple luck, but it specifically refers to external conditions like timing and environment rather than random chance.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
