beng6 mo1病魔
Jyutpingbeng6 mo1
Yalebehng mō
Definition
A severe, chronic disease or illness, metaphorically described as a disease demon.
colloquialhealth
How it's used
Evokes a sense of personification, framing a serious or chronic illness as an active, malicious antagonist rather than a passive medical condition. It is almost exclusively used in dramatic or empathetic contexts, such as news reports about patients or personal stories of struggle. You will rarely hear it used for minor ailments like a cold or headache.
Examples
He fought against the severe illness for a long time and finally recovered.
Why must this severe illness plague such a good person?
Related words
Common phrases
plagued by severe illness
to fight against a severe illness
Common mistake
Avoid using this for common, minor illnesses like a flu or a stomach ache, as it sounds overly dramatic and unnatural. It is reserved for life-threatening or long-term, debilitating conditions.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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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).
