zan1 jan4真人
Jyutpingzan1 jan4
Yalejān yàhn
Definition
The real person, as opposed to an image in a photograph, video, or screen.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Focuses on the contrast between a physical presence and a digital or printed representation. It is frequently used to comment on someone's appearance or personality when they differ from their online persona or media image. The term emphasizes the tangible, three-dimensional reality of a person.
Examples
She looks much better in person than on camera.
When will you finally agree to meet me in person?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 真正, which means 'genuine' or 'authentic' in a moral or qualitative sense. Using 真人 to describe a 'real' friend or a 'true' hero would sound unnatural, as it strictly refers to physical presence.
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.
