ak1 saat3扼殺扼杀
Jyutpingak1 saat3
Yaleāk saat
Definition
To stifle, smother, or strangle; to completely eliminate or ruin an opportunity.
neutraldescriptionsother
How it's used
Use this term when describing the active destruction or suppression of abstract concepts like potential, dreams, or freedom. It carries a heavy, serious tone and is rarely used for physical strangulation in everyday speech. It often implies that the subject is responsible for the premature end of something that could have flourished.
Examples
Doing it this way will stifle his creativity.
Why do you have to kill off such a good opportunity?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this for literal physical strangulation, as that is typically expressed with 掐死 or 勒死. Using 扼殺 for physical actions sounds unnatural and overly dramatic.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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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.
