cung1 gwan1充軍充军

Jyutpingcung1 gwan1

Yalechūng gwān

動詞

Definition

An ancient penal sentence of military conscription and penal labor.

writtenother

How it's used

Historically, this term refers to a specific form of punishment where criminals were sent to remote, often harsh, border regions to serve in the military. It carries a heavy sense of permanent displacement and forced labor rather than just standard military service. In modern Cantonese, it is almost exclusively used in historical contexts or as a hyperbolic metaphor for being sent to a place one absolutely does not want to go.

Examples

keoi5佢faan6犯zo2咗，bei2俾jan4人cung1充gwan1軍heoi3去bin1邊goeng1疆。

He committed a major crime and was sent into military exile at the frontier.

gu2古doi6代bin1邊go3個wui2會soeng2想bei6被cung1充gwan1軍aa1呀？

Who in ancient times would want to be sent into military exile?

Common phrases

faat3發pui3配cung1充gwan1軍

exiled and sent to military service

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with 參軍, which refers to the voluntary act of enlisting in the military. Using 充軍 to describe someone joining the army for a career will sound like you are calling them a criminal.