daai6 san4大臣
Jyutpingdaai6 san4
Yaledaaih sàhn
Definition
A high-ranking official or minister in an ancient Chinese imperial court.
neutralpeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to high ranking officials in a historical imperial context. It is almost exclusively used when discussing historical dramas, period films, or ancient history. Using it to describe modern government officials sounds archaic or overly dramatic.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He used to be a minister by the emperor's side.
Which minister would dare to say this to the emperor?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to refer to modern government ministers, as it carries a strong connotation of feudalism and absolute monarchy. For modern political roles, use terms like 局長 or 部長 instead.
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.
