baa3 wong4 faa1霸王花
Jyutpingbaa3 wong4 faa1
Yaleba wòhng fā
Definition
Night-blooming cereus (Hylocereus undatus), a climbing cactus with white flowers often used in Chinese soups.
colloquialfoodnature
How it's used
Refers specifically to the dried flower of the cactus plant used in Cantonese soups, rather than the fruit itself. It is highly valued for its cooling properties in traditional Chinese medicine, often paired with pork bones or almonds. You will almost always encounter it in its dried, shriveled form at local markets.
Measure word
do2朵dóExamples
Soup made with white-fleshed pitahaya is very sweet and refreshing.
Related words
Common phrases
boiling soup with white-fleshed pitahaya
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 火龍果, which is the fruit of the same plant. While they share the same biological origin, they are treated as distinct ingredients in the kitchen.
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.
