faat3 dau2發抖发抖
Jyutpingfaat3 dau2
Yalefaat dáu
Definition
To shiver, tremble, or shake because of fear, cold, anger, or nervousness.
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How it's used
While 發抖 describes the physical act of trembling, it is often used in more formal or written contexts compared to the everyday spoken term 打冷震. When someone is shaking specifically due to cold, Cantonese speakers almost exclusively prefer 打冷震. Using 發抖 in casual conversation can sometimes sound slightly more dramatic or literary, as if describing a scene in a story.
Examples
Seeing the big dog, he was shaking all over from fear.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 發抖 to describe shaking from cold in casual speech, as it sounds unnatural; use 打冷震 instead.
Grammar color guide
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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).
