daai6 baan1大班
Definition
Taipan; a senior executive or big boss of a large company.
How it's used
Originally referring to foreign business executives in colonial Hong Kong, the term now broadly describes any high level corporate leader or boss. It carries a slightly old fashioned or prestigious air, often implying someone who wields significant power in a large organization. You will frequently hear it used to describe the furniture or office style associated with such figures, rather than just the person themselves.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the term 大班 used in some contexts to mean a large class of students, which is a completely different word with a different tone. In a business context, it specifically refers to the person in charge or the executive style, not just any manager.
Grammar color guide
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
