bei6 tai3鼻涕
Jyutpingbei6 tai3
Yalebeih tai
Definition
Nasal mucus; snot.
colloquialbodyhealth
How it's used
Distinguish this from 鼻水, which refers specifically to the thin, watery discharge often associated with allergies or the early stages of a cold. 鼻涕 implies a thicker, more viscous consistency that usually signals a more advanced stage of illness or infection. It is common to use the verb 流 before both terms to describe the act of having a runny nose.
Measure word
tiu4條tìuhExamples
I have so much nasal discharge when I have a cold, it's miserable.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 鼻涕 with 鼻水, but using 鼻涕 to describe thin, clear, watery discharge sounds unnatural, as it specifically denotes a thicker, more mucus-like substance.
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.
