tiu3 dung6跳動跳动
Jyutpingtiu3 dung6
Yaletiu duhng
Definition
To move up and down, beat, or pulsate.
neutralbodydescriptions
How it's used
Focuses specifically on rhythmic, repetitive movement, making it ideal for biological functions like heartbeats or pulses. While it can describe physical objects vibrating, it carries a sense of life or mechanical regularity that distinguishes it from generic shaking or trembling. Use it when the movement is internal or essential to the object's function.
Examples
Touch your heart and see if it is still beating.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe general shaking or trembling of the whole body, which is better expressed by 震 or 震動. Learners often mistakenly use it for external, erratic movements that lack the rhythmic, pulsing quality inherent to this word.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
