zin3戰战
Jyutpingzin3
Yalejin
Definition
To fight, battle, or compete; war or combat.
neutralother
How it's used
While 戰 is a formal morpheme used in compound words like 戰爭, it is rarely used alone in daily speech. Instead, speakers use 仗 to refer to a specific battle or conflict. You will often hear people use 仗 in the phrase 打仗, which can metaphorically describe any intense struggle or difficult task.
Examples
Are those two starting a fight again?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse the morpheme 戰 with the noun 仗. While they share the same meaning, 戰 is almost exclusively used in formal compounds, whereas 仗 is the noun used in spoken Cantonese for a fight or war.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
