caau1 gaa1抄家
Jyutpingcaau1 gaa1
Yalechāau gā
Definition
To search a house and confiscate possessions.
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
Historically, this refers to a severe state-sanctioned punishment where officials would seize all assets and property of a household. In modern colloquial speech, it is often used hyperbolically to describe someone aggressively searching through another person's belongings, such as a parent rummaging through a child's room.
Examples
They threatened to raid our home, and we were so scared we couldn't sleep all night.
In the past, emperors really liked to confiscate people's property.
Related words
Common phrases
to confiscate property and execute the entire clan
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 抄寫, which simply means to copy or transcribe text. Using 抄家 in a casual context can sound quite dramatic or aggressive, so avoid using it to describe a simple search for lost keys or minor tidying.
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.
