faan1 coeng4翻牆翻墙
Jyutpingfaan1 coeng4
Yalefāan chèuhng
Definition
To bypass internet censorship, such as the Great Firewall of China.
colloquialtechnologycommunication
How it's used
Originally referring to the physical act of climbing over a wall, this term has been repurposed to describe bypassing digital restrictions. It is the standard way to talk about accessing blocked websites or services. The term is widely understood across all generations in Hong Kong, even if the specific technical methods change over time.
Examples
Do you know how to circumvent the firewall?
Related words
Common phrases
VPN or circumvention software
successfully bypassed the firewall
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with physical climbing, which is rarely described with this specific phrase in a modern context. It is strictly used for digital censorship circumvention.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
