co1 bou6初步
Jyutpingco1 bou6
Yalechō bouh
Definition
Initial, tentative, or preliminary; at the beginning stage of a process.
neutralworkdescriptions
How it's used
Often used in professional or formal settings to describe a stage that is not yet final or fully confirmed. It frequently appears in news reports or business contexts when discussing findings, results, or agreements that are subject to change. Unlike more casual words, it carries a sense of cautious progress.
Examples
We have tentatively agreed on the plan.
Do you have any preliminary thoughts on this matter?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe something that is just 'early' in a chronological sense, like waking up early in the morning. It specifically refers to the initial phase of a process or investigation rather than a point in time.
Grammar color guide
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Particle
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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.
