caam4讒谗
Jyutpingcaam4
Yalechàahm
Definition
To slander or speak evil of someone behind their back in order to frame them.
writtenpeoplecommunication
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively found in formal compounds and written Chinese rather than spoken Cantonese. In daily life, Hong Kongers prefer using phrases like 講壞話 or 篤背脊 to describe the act of badmouthing someone. Using this character in casual conversation will sound overly literary or like you are quoting a classical text.
Examples
He loves slandering people behind their backs, it is really annoying.
Do not listen to the slander, they did not do it at all.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 饞, which refers to being gluttonous or greedy for food. While they share a similar visual component, their meanings are entirely unrelated.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
