zing1禎祯
Jyutpingzing1
Yalejīng
Definition
Auspicious; a good omen.
writtenother
How it's used
Literary and formal in nature, this character is rarely encountered in everyday spoken Cantonese. It is almost exclusively reserved for names or high-register written contexts involving traditional blessings or auspicious concepts. You will mostly see it in compound words like 禎祥 rather than as a standalone verb or adjective.
Examples
This is an auspicious and lucky sign.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake it for common characters like 貞 or 真 due to the similar phonetic components. It is not interchangeable with these, and using it in casual conversation will sound highly unnatural or overly poetic.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
