zung1 man4中文
Jyutpingzung1 man4
Yalejūng màhn
Definition
The Chinese language, in its written or spoken forms.
neutralschoolcommunication
How it's used
Refers specifically to the written language or the school subject in a Hong Kong context. When speaking about the spoken language, people often use 廣東話 or 普通話 depending on the specific variety being discussed. It is rarely used to describe the spoken language as a whole unless referring to the abstract concept of the language family.
Examples
My Chinese level is very poor, I need to study harder.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to refer to spoken Cantonese, as locals distinguish between the two. If you are in a classroom setting, it refers to the subject of Chinese language arts.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
