dong1宕
Definition
To procrastinate, delay, or drift; can also refer to a cave dwelling or being unrestrained.
- to delay, stall, or procrastinate
- unrestrained; dissipated; wandering
- cave dwelling
How it's used
Primarily used in the sense of delaying or putting off tasks, this character is often written as 擱 when referring to the act of setting something aside. It carries a sense of stagnation or lack of progress, implying that a task is being left to gather dust rather than being actively worked on. In casual speech, it is frequently used to describe someone who is dragging their feet on a project or deadline.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with the Mandarin usage of 宕機, which refers to a computer crash. In Cantonese, the character is almost exclusively used for procrastination or delay, and using it to describe technical failure will sound confusing to locals.
Grammar color guide
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.
