din6 bou3電報电报
Jyutpingdin6 bou3
Yaledihn bou
Definition
Telegram or telegraph; the method of long-distance communication using electrical signals, or the message itself.
datedcommunicationtechnology
How it's used
Refers to a historical communication technology that has been almost entirely replaced by modern digital messaging. It is now primarily encountered in period dramas, historical accounts, or when describing old-fashioned methods of urgent communication. The verb used with it is almost exclusively 打, reflecting the physical action of operating the telegraph key.
Measure word
fung1封fūngExamples
Sending a telegram used to be very expensive.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with modern electronic messages or emails; using it to describe a text message or an instant message will sound extremely archaic or confusing to a native speaker.
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.
