bok3 lyun6博亂博乱
Jyutpingbok3 lyun6
Yalebok lyuhn
Definition
To take advantage of a chaotic situation, or to try one's luck during a muddle.
colloquialdaily actionspeople
How it's used
Describes the act of exploiting a chaotic or busy situation to gain an unfair benefit or to cause disruption. It implies a sense of opportunism where someone acts sneakily while others are distracted. It is often used to describe people cutting in line or acting inappropriately when no one is paying attention.
Examples
He is taking advantage of the crowd to stir up trouble and steal wallets.
Don't try to cut in or cause trouble here, hurry up and queue.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being messy or loud. It specifically requires the element of taking advantage of a situation or a crowd to do something that would otherwise be noticed or stopped.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
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Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
