dung3 can1凍親冻亲
Jyutpingdung3 can1
Yaledung chān
Definition
To catch a cold; to fall ill from being exposed to the cold.
Example
colloquialhealth
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the physical sensation of being chilled to the point of illness rather than the clinical diagnosis of a virus. It functions as a resultative verb compound where the second character indicates the outcome of being exposed to cold temperatures. It is commonly used to describe the immediate physical reaction to a draft or sudden drop in temperature.
Examples
You are wearing so little, it is very easy to catch a cold.
I left the AC on too high last night and caught a cold.
Related words
Common phrases
take care not to catch a cold
accidentally caught a cold
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the adjective 凍, which simply means cold. Using 凍親 implies an involuntary negative health consequence, whereas 凍 is just a state of temperature.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
