daai6 hung4 daai6 zi2大紅大紫大红大紫
Jyutpingdaai6 hung4 daai6 zi2
Yaledaaih hùhng daaih jí
Definition
Extremely popular and famous; highly successful and prominent.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
This idiom is almost exclusively reserved for people in the entertainment industry, such as singers, actors, or internet celebrities. It implies a meteoric rise to fame that is both widespread and intense, rather than just being well-known in a niche field. Using it to describe someone in a standard office job would sound sarcastic or highly unusual.
Examples
He became very famous shortly after his debut, which is really impressive.
Do you think he has a chance to become a huge star this year?
Related words
Common phrases
to become famous overnight
a very popular celebrity
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a general term for being popular, but it specifically carries the connotation of celebrity status. It is not used to describe a popular product or a trendy restaurant.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
