bei2 min2畀面
Jyutpingbei2 min2
Yalebéi mín
Definition
To give face; to show respect, honor, or consideration to someone.
colloquialpeopleemotion
How it's used
Giving face is a fundamental social currency in Cantonese culture, representing the act of showing respect or deference to someone to preserve their dignity. It is often used in social settings where one person makes a request that is difficult to refuse without causing the other person to lose face. You will frequently hear it used in the negative to describe someone who is being intentionally difficult or rude by ignoring social expectations.
Examples
Do me a favor and come over for a drink.
He showed me no respect at all, it really infuriated me.
Related words
Common phrases
a party one attends out of obligation
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being polite. 畀面 implies a specific social transaction where you are sacrificing your own preference or time to uphold the other person's status or feelings.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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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).
