zyun1顓颛
Jyutpingzyun1
Yalejyūn
Definition
Good and honest; simple, stupid, or prudent.
- literarygood; honest; simple
- literarystupid; ignorant
- literaryprudent; cautious
- a Chinese surname
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Primarily used in spoken Cantonese to describe someone who is overly honest, simple-minded, or naive to the point of being easily taken advantage of. It carries a slightly sympathetic but critical tone, suggesting the person lacks the street smarts required for complex social situations. It is rarely used in its literary sense of prudent or good in modern daily speech.
Examples
He is a very honest person and often gets cheated.
You are so naive, how will you survive in society?
Related words
Common phrases
to be a very naive person
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage where it might appear in formal names or historical contexts. In Hong Kong, using it to mean prudent or wise will likely be misunderstood, as it almost exclusively implies a lack of worldly wisdom.
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.
