zi1 tai2肢體肢体
Jyutpingzi1 tai2
Yalejī tái
Definition
Limbs; the arms and legs.
neutralbodydescriptions
How it's used
While 肢體 is the formal term for limbs, it is rarely used in casual, everyday speech to refer to one's own arms and legs. Instead, people almost exclusively use the colloquial expression 手手腳腳. 肢體 is primarily reserved for formal contexts, medical discussions, or abstract concepts like 肢體語言.
Examples
He accidentally injured his limbs while exercising.
Pay attention to his body language when he speaks.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 肢體 to refer to a specific arm or leg in a daily context, as it sounds overly clinical or academic. Stick to 手 or 腳 for normal conversation.
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.
