tin1 joeng6天壤
Jyutpingtin1 joeng6
Yaletīn yeuhng
Definition
The sky and the ground; a vast difference between two things.
- the sky and the earth; heaven and earth
- figurativea vast difference, as between heaven and earth
neutraldescriptions
How it's used
This idiom is almost exclusively used in the fixed phrase 天壤之別 to describe a vast, insurmountable difference between two things. It carries a formal, literary weight that stands out when used in casual speech, often serving to emphasize a dramatic contrast in quality, status, or outcome. While it conveys a sense of extreme distance, it is not used to describe physical geographical space.
Examples
The difference in their abilities is truly like heaven and earth.
Why is there such a massive gap in quality between these two restaurants?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this to describe physical distance between two locations, but it strictly refers to abstract differences in quality or status. For physical distance, use 距離好遠 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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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.
