daam3 tiu1擔挑担挑
Jyutpingdaam3 tiu1
Yaledaam tīu
Definition
Carrying pole; a wooden or bamboo pole used across the shoulders to carry heavy loads.
colloquialworkother
How it's used
Carrying poles are rarely used in modern urban Hong Kong, so the term is often associated with historical labor or traditional street hawking. It is frequently used in the idiom 斷擔挑 to describe a situation where a burden becomes too heavy to manage or a support system fails. The word functions as both a noun for the tool and a verb for the action of carrying something on one's shoulders.
Measure word
tiu4條tìuhExamples
He used to rely on a carrying pole to transport goods.
The carrying pole is so heavy, how can you carry it by yourself?
Related words
Common phrases
to break the carrying pole (idiom for a burden being too heavy)
Common mistake
Do not confuse the noun 擔挑 with the verb 擔, which means to carry something on the shoulder. While 擔挑 refers specifically to the pole itself, 擔 can refer to the act of carrying anything on the shoulder, even without a pole.
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.
