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Definition
Monopoly; a business that has no competitors in the market.
How it's used
Refers to a situation where a business has no competition, effectively acting as a sole provider in a specific area or niche. It implies that the business owner has significant leverage over pricing and service quality because customers have no other alternatives. The term is often used to describe businesses that are highly profitable or those that are notoriously unhelpful because they know their customers are trapped.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the English concept of a legal monopoly enforced by government regulation. In Cantonese, it is frequently used to describe small, local shops that are the only ones selling a specific item in a neighborhood, rather than just large corporations.
Grammar color guide
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
