co5 faa1 teng1坐花廳坐花厅
Jyutpingco5 faa1 teng1
Yalechóh fā tēng
Definition
To go to jail; to be imprisoned.
colloquialplacesother
How it's used
Refers to the historical practice of prisoners being held in the Victoria Prison, which was colloquially known as the flower hall due to its ornate architecture. It carries a slightly jocular or old-fashioned tone compared to the standard term 坐監. Using this phrase today often sounds like someone trying to sound like a character from a classic Hong Kong crime film.
Examples
He did so many bad things, he is definitely going to jail this time.
If you keep acting recklessly like this, watch out for ending up in jail.
Related words
Common phrases
to be at risk of going to jail at any time
Common mistake
Avoid using this in formal or legal contexts, as it sounds flippant and dated. It is strictly a colloquial expression for informal conversation.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
