bam1泵
Jyutpingbam1
Yalebām
Definition
A pump; a device used to move, compress, or transfer liquids or gases.
colloquialdaily actionsother
How it's used
Originally a loanword from English, this term is now standard in both technical and casual contexts. It is frequently used as a verb in spoken Cantonese to mean inflating something, such as 泵氣 for pumping air into a tire or ball. You will also hear it used metaphorically in business or finance to describe injecting capital into a project.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
The bike is out of air, quickly get the pump to inflate it.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Cantonese slang 泵, which can sometimes refer to the act of massaging or kneading, especially in the context of 泵骨.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
