dak1 zai6得滯得滞
Jyutpingdak1 zai6
Yaledāk jaih
Definition
Too; excessively; placed after an adjective to indicate an undesirable degree.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Functions as a suffix to adjectives to express that a quality has exceeded a reasonable or desirable limit. It carries a negative connotation, implying that the excessiveness is problematic or annoying. It is almost exclusively used in negative or critical contexts.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using it with positive adjectives unless you are specifically criticizing someone for overdoing something. For instance, saying someone is happy too much using 開心得滯 sounds unnatural because being happy is rarely seen as a negative state requiring this specific suffix.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
