din1 dou2顛倒颠倒
Jyutpingdin1 dou2
Yaledīn dóu
Definition
To turn upside down, invert, or reverse the order or truth of something.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Often used metaphorically to describe situations where the natural order or moral judgment is inverted. While it can describe physical objects being flipped, it is most frequently encountered in idioms regarding truth and logic. It carries a strong sense of confusion or deliberate distortion of reality.
Examples
Why did you put all the photos upside down?
He always confuses right and wrong, it is really hard to communicate with him.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 倒轉, which is a more neutral and common way to describe physically flipping something over. 顛倒 implies a more chaotic or negative state of inversion.
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.
