fei2匪
Jyutpingfei2
Yaleféi
Definition
Bandit or robber, often used in news headlines for conciseness.
writtenpeople
How it's used
Using 匪 as a standalone noun in spoken Cantonese is extremely rare and sounds unnatural or overly dramatic. It is almost exclusively reserved for newspaper headlines, police reports, or formal written contexts where brevity is required. In everyday speech, people prefer using 賊 or 搶劫犯 to describe someone who commits robbery.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
The news says there are robbers lurking nearby.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 匪 in casual conversation to describe a thief or a criminal, as it will make you sound like you are reading a crime report out loud. Stick to 賊 for general purposes.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
