zi1滋
Jyutpingzi1
Yalejī
Definition
To grow, multiply, or breed.
neutraldaily actionshealth
How it's used
Functions primarily as a bound morpheme in formal or compound words rather than as a standalone verb in daily speech. It carries a sense of gradual development or emergence, often used in negative contexts like the spread of germs or the creation of trouble. When used in the sense of disturbance, it is almost exclusively found in the compound 滋擾.
Examples
It is very humid here, bacteria breed easily.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake it for a general verb for growth, but it is not interchangeable with 生長 or 長大. It is restricted to specific formal collocations and should not be used to describe the physical growth of a person or plant.
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.
