zing1睛
Jyutpingzing1
Yalejīng
Definition
Eye.
neutralbody
How it's used
Standalone usage of 睛 is extremely rare in spoken Cantonese, as it almost exclusively appears as part of the compound 眼睛. While 眼睛 is understood by everyone, native speakers overwhelmingly prefer the simpler word 眼 in daily conversation. Using 眼睛 can sometimes sound slightly more literary or formal, similar to how one might use 'eyeball' or 'peepers' in specific English contexts.
Measure word
deoi3對deuiExamples
Have you looked at it clearly with your eyes yet?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using 睛 on its own to mean eye, as it is a bound morpheme that requires the character 眼 to form a complete word. Learners often mistakenly treat it as a standalone noun because of its presence in 眼睛.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
