au2 daa2 mau5 jan4毆打某人殴打某人
Jyutpingau2 daa2 mau5 jan4
Yaleáu dá máuh yàhn
Definition
To beat someone up
writtenpeopledaily actions
How it's used
毆打 is a formal term primarily used in legal contexts, news reports, or police statements. In everyday spoken Cantonese, people almost always use 打交 or 打人 instead of this formal verb. Using it in casual conversation sounds overly dramatic or like you are reading a police report out loud.
Examples
He beat someone up in the street and was arrested by the police.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often use this in casual settings where it sounds unnatural or stiff. Stick to 打人 for general descriptions of physical violence in daily life.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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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.
