zan3圳

Jyutpingzan3

Yalejan

名詞Uncommon

Definition

An irrigation canal, ditch, or channel.

colloquialnatureother

How it's used

Refers specifically to small, man-made channels used for directing water to crops or draining fields. While it shares the same character as the place name Shenzhen, in a rural or agricultural context, it is strictly a noun for water management infrastructure. It is more precise than generic terms like 水渠 which can refer to urban sewage or storm drains.

Measure word

tiu4條tìuh

Examples

nung4農fu1夫喺hai2田tin4邊bin1開hoi1咗zo2條tiu4圳。

The farmer dug an irrigation canal by the side of the field.

ni1呢tiu4條zan3圳coi3塞zo2咗，di1啲seoi2水lau4流m4唔dou3到gwo3過heoi3去。

This irrigation canal is blocked, so the water cannot flow through.

Common phrases

hoi1開zan3圳

to dig an irrigation canal

zan3圳bin1邊

beside the irrigation canal

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with the city name Shenzhen, which is a proper noun. In everyday conversation, people often use 坑渠 for urban drainage, so using 圳 for a city gutter would sound strange and overly rustic.