fo2 sing1 man4火星文
Jyutpingfo2 sing1 man4
Yalefó sīng màhn
Definition
Unintelligible language or text, often referring to internet slang or gibberish.
colloquialcommunicationslang
How it's used
Originally referring to the bizarre, symbol-heavy internet slang popular among teenagers in the early 2000s, this term has evolved to describe any text or speech that is incomprehensible. It carries a slightly mocking or frustrated tone, implying that the speaker is deliberately making things difficult to understand. Use it when someone uses excessive jargon, bad handwriting, or nonsensical abbreviations.
Examples
The text he typed is like Martian language, I can't understand it at all.
What did you write in this report? It's basically gibberish.
Related words
Common phrases
cannot understand the gibberish
to write in an unintelligible way
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe a foreign language you simply do not know. It specifically refers to communication that is confusing or poorly constructed, rather than just being in a different tongue.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
