fo2 hei2火起
Jyutpingfo2 hei2
Yalefó héi
Definition
To flare up in anger; to get angry.
colloquialemotion
How it's used
Fire serves as a common metaphor for anger in Cantonese, similar to how one might say someone is burning with rage. While 嬲 is a neutral and common way to express being mad, 火起 carries a more visceral sense of sudden irritation or being provoked by a specific event or person. It is frequently used to describe a quick spike in temper rather than a long-standing grudge.
Examples
I get really angry when I see him talking like that.
Related words
Common phrases
to get angry for no reason
Common mistake
Avoid using 火起 as a direct adjective to describe a person's personality, such as saying someone is an angry person. It functions specifically as a verb phrase describing the onset of an angry state, so it is best used to describe a reaction to a situation.
Grammar color guide
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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.
