cing1 bing6稱病称病
Jyutpingcing1 bing6
Yalechīng bihng
Definition
To plead illness; to claim to be sick as an excuse.
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How it's used
Focuses on the act of using a health excuse to avoid an obligation, often implying that the illness is feigned or exaggerated. It carries a slightly formal or literary tone compared to everyday speech, where people might instead say 扮病 or 搵藉口請假. Using it in casual conversation can sound like you are making a deliberate, perhaps slightly sneaky, excuse.
Examples
He pleaded illness and didn't go to work today.
Common phrases
to plead illness and ask for leave
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being sick, which is 病咗. Using 稱病 implies a strategic choice to claim illness, whereas 病咗 is a neutral statement of fact regarding one's health status.
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
