bai6 haa6陛下
Jyutpingbai6 haa6
Yalebaih hah
Definition
Your Majesty; His Majesty; Her Majesty; an honorific title of respect used for a monarch.
writtenpeople
How it's used
This term is strictly reserved for addressing monarchs in formal or historical contexts. It carries a heavy sense of archaic hierarchy that is almost never used in modern daily life except when performing in period dramas or reading classical literature. Using it in a casual setting will sound extremely sarcastic or bizarrely theatrical.
Examples
Your Majesty, please think twice.
When can we finally see His Majesty?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to address anyone other than a reigning monarch. Learners sometimes mistakenly use it for high ranking officials or bosses, which is incorrect and sounds like a joke.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
