cyun3 bou6寸步
Jyutpingcyun3 bou6
Yalechyun bouh
Definition
A tiny step; a single step or an inch of progress.
colloquialdescriptionsdaily actions
How it's used
This term is almost exclusively used in the fixed idiom 寸步難行 to describe being stuck or unable to move forward due to physical pain, heavy crowds, or difficult circumstances. It carries a sense of extreme limitation or helplessness. Unlike standard measurements, it functions here as a metaphorical unit of distance to emphasize how even the smallest movement becomes impossible.
Examples
Do you still want to follow me around every single step?
Related words
Common phrases
unable to move a single step
not leave someone's side
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe literal walking distances or small physical steps in a casual sense. It is a literary-based expression that sounds unnatural if used outside of its set idiomatic phrases.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
