dou6 jau5道友
Jyutpingdou6 jau5
Yaledouh yáuh
Definition
Fellow practitioners of Taoism.
colloquialpeopleslang
How it's used
While the term originally referred to practitioners of Taoism, it has undergone a significant semantic shift in modern Hong Kong Cantonese. In contemporary street slang, it is almost exclusively used as a derogatory term for a drug addict, specifically someone addicted to heroin. Using this word in a literal, historical context can cause confusion or unintended offense, as listeners will likely assume you are referring to someone struggling with substance abuse.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
They were fellow Taoists who practiced together in the past.
Will this fellow Taoist be coming today?
Related words
Common phrases
a common nickname for someone who looks like or is a drug addict
Common mistake
Never use this term to describe a friend you practice meditation or religion with, as the modern slang meaning is overwhelmingly dominant and carries a strong negative connotation.
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.
